Of Mind and Magic
by Read my stuff 007
Summary: When he was ten years old, Hadrian John Grey witnessed his mother's death and learned of her extraordinary history. Now five years later, he is ready to continue his family legacy, but being a mystically enhanced Psionic in a world where people's relationship with mutants is complicated at best isn't going to be easy.
1. Chapter 1

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 1**

Ten-year-old Hadrian Grey stood on the marble steps of Gringotts Bank, a bank run by goblins, short greedy creatures with leather like skin, dark eyes, long nimble fingers, and an insatiable love for gold.

His icy blue eyes flicked to the cobblestone street of Diagon Alley, as another building disappeared in a puff of displaced air, leaving a square of upturned earth where it once stood.

A cool wind weaved through his dark red hair, pulling at his black T-shirt. He shoved his hands into his jeans, the tips of his fingers like ice.

Stepping down a step, he swept his head from left to right. Most of the buildings were gone, only leaving the owl emporium, the leaky cauldron, and a few of the shops in Knockturn Alley, a place where the unsavory did business. Even with most of the inhabitants gone, liquid shadows clung to the alley, hiding its interior.

Backing up to the top of the stairs, he glanced at the golden double doors. His mother, Lily Joan Evans née Grey was inside with the magical world moving to the dimension of otherworld, his mother had taken a new job with MI thirteen to protect London. She had come here to get their finances straightened out as well as take care of some family business. He had no idea what that last bit meant.

His mother said hiding wasn't the answer, they needed to rise up and embrace the changes in the world, but with aliens, gods, and mutants becoming more prevalent, he could understand the wizarding world's fear, especially since a lot of it hadn't changed since the Middle-Ages.

Rain began to fall. With a force of will, a translucent blue dome appeared above his head. Murmurs echoed from inside the bank. The people closest to the doors shuffled further inside.

Keeping his gaze locked forward, he released a breath. This would be one of the things he didn't miss about the magical world. He was what they feared, a mutant with magical abilities, his magic was woven so tight with his mutant gene, it created something never before seen, a new type of magic, Psionic magic.

He could manipulate magical energies at will allowing him to do things a normal witch or wizard could only dream of. Granted it didn't help him with stuff like runes, or potions, but with his mother having a masters in those as well as several other branches of magic, it wasn't like he was hurting for a teacher.

He glanced in the doorway as the sounds of clicking heels grew louder. Lily Grey strode towards him, her braided black hair draped over the left shoulder of her crimson robes. Her blue eyes locked onto him, her red lips curling, "You actually stayed here the entire time?"

"With people's fear of me, I would hate for you to have to arrest me for disturbing the peace, Miss Head of magical law enforcement."

Lily's tan narrow face twisted, she glanced down at the silver badge pinned to her left breast. Slender fingers rose and unpinned the badge before tucking it into a pocket, "Won't need this anymore?"

They began walking down the stairs, Harry's dome extending to cover his mother, even though she was a good nine inches taller than him. "Are you going to miss it?"

"What?"

"The magical world."

Lily shook her head, "No, I always felt my job as head of magical law enforcement limited me on what I can do for the world. Besides," her lips curled, a twinkle appearing in her eyes, "There are other magical worlds besides the one in Britain, maybe when you get older I'll show you some of them."

Harry nodded, keeping his eyes locked forward.

Lily exhaled, the magical world's fear of her son's abilities, and the rest of the world's general distrust of mutants left him closed off, his scary intuition when it comes to magical things didn't help them make friends, especially since that intuition seemed to carry over to the mundane sphere of things.

Reaching out an arm, she wrapped it around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. Maybe in a few more years, after mastering his abilities, she would show him some of the other magical worlds, hopefully meeting other unique individuals would bring him out of his shell.

However, he had to master his abilities first; she needed to know that he was able to protect himself. He was well on his way to gaining a mastery in potions and runes. He even started combining it to do rudimentary alchemy, but it wouldn't be enough for some of the things out there.

Her lips quirked, he thought she didn't know, but she could sense the magical energies being used late at night when he was supposed to be in bed.

She opened her mouth to ask him how his project was going, but a chirping sound in her ear cut her off. Unwrapping her arm from her son, she pressed the small silver disc set into her ear, "This is Grey."

"Grey," the silky voice of Peter Wilson said in her ear, causing a cold shiver to run down her spine, the man unnerved her, she could never quite figure out what his end game was. "There's some kind of tentacle monster attacking Saint Mungo's. We need you to go there and investigate, we would send the others, but their teamed up with Captain Britain right now."

"So, I have no backup, and you want me to go investigate an unknown threat?"

"Welcome to MI thirteen."

Lily cursed as the line went dead.

"I could help you know."

Light blue eyes turned to chips of ice, "Absolutely not! You are to go straight home."

Harry shrugged and Lily bent down placing a kiss on his forehead, "I love you. I'll be home later."

With a crack of displaced air, she was gone.

Harry stared at the spot his mother disappeared for a solid minute. He then drew a circle in the air with his pointer finger. Where his finger traced, light blue energy was left behind. When the circle was complete a portal to the stark white halls of Saint Mungo's hovered in the air before him.

Harry stared at the portal before him, his mother was a magical law enforcement officer, according to his mother his father was a mundane cop. A man who hid his powerful psychic abilities in order to work with his fellow officers to solve some of the toughest crimes.

He barely had memories of the man, but both of them had had a desire to make the world a better place. He was not sure if he wanted to follow in their footsteps or not, but he was not letting his mother face some unknown creature alone.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the portal, the moment he crossed the threshold, it sizzled shut behind him.

– **XX –**

Stepping out of the portal, the scent of disinfectant hit his nose. Light blue energy covered his body like a second skin. His own unique mix of magic and psychic energy burned through his body, enhancing his physical abilities.

The building shook, sending cracks crawling down the pale white walls.

Reaching out with his mind, he tried to sense his mother. He staggered backwards, her magic burning in his mind like a small sun. He took a step to the right, ready to follow the hallway to his mother's battle.

A spike of fear stabbed into his mind, making him pause. For a moment he stood there, what would his parents do? Would they go directly to him, or would they help someone in need? He didn't know the answer, but with his mother's power, he knew she could handle herself.

Turning, his grey tennis shoes skated along the smooth white floor as he made his way towards the fear burrowing into his mind. The building shook again, the cracks in the walls becoming wider. Bits of tile fell from the ceiling to shatter on the floor.

He glanced into each room as he passed. The rooms were simple. Iron bed frames supported thick mattresses.

A table beside each bed with another underneath the room's window. Every room he passed the beds were empty, the sheets disheveled like the occupant had left in a hurry, so he had to wonder who on earth was still here and why didn't they leave?

Approaching a set of white double doors, he tried to peer through the rectangular windows, but the fractured glass showed him nothing but his own multiplied visage.

With a flick of his finger, a jet of power raced towards the doors, slamming them open with a resounding bang. Striding into the room, he peered around him.

More iron frame beds lined the walls, tables sat in between each bed. Small wilted plants sat on some of the tables, slowly decorating the tops with their wilting leaves.

Following the spike of fear, Harry found a tall pretty blonde woman with delicate pale features, and vacant blue eyes huddled in a corner. Her pale blue eyes stared at nothing, chapped pink lips muttered words he couldn't quite make out as he drew closer.

"Miss, are you all right?"

The woman's eyes snapped to him, her gaze seeming to pierce his soul even through the strands of hair shielding her face.

He staggered back as the psychic probe slammed into his barriers. His eyes widened, this woman is a telepath. Her natural magic must be enhancing her mutant ability.

With her probe failed, life seemed to come into the woman's eyes. Now that he knew what to look for, he sensed her psychic presence withdraw back into herself.

He shook his head, how long had she been here, listening to the thoughts of everyone around her. No wonder she looks frayed, anyone would be at the edge of sanity with so many voices in their head.

"Miss, could you tell me who you are? Why haven't you left?"

The building shook, jagged cracks splitting the floor apart.

The woman screamed. The wall she was leaning against giving way.

Harry took a deep breath. This was not what he had in mind when he followed his mother. He was just expecting to see her kick some bad guy arse. Letting the breath out through his nose, he stretched forth his hand, wrapping his power around the woman, while simultaneously probing her mind.

Normally this would be difficult to do to another telepath, especially one of her level, but the fear coursing through her mind, and the lack of mental shields made it easy.

She was Selena Lovegood a very talented enchantress. She was working on a new way of instantaneous travel when she accidentally tore a hole in reality. Something from another dimension reached out and touched her, awakening her latent mutant genes but also making her its anchor on our plane of existence.

"Shuma-Gorath," he muttered, causing Selena's eyes to snap down to him as he murmured the name. Securing an arm around her waist, he locked eyes with her lamenting his lack of height.

"You said his name," she rasped in a voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in any volume for quite some time, "Shuma-Gorath," she shuddered, "the dark god." She leaned down madness creeping back into her eyes, "he plans to use our world, but Annataz will save us," she nodded, "she is strong, she will make him go away."

"Who is…?"

He stopped in his mind's eye, he saw his mother, her body made of multicolored energy, but something was wrong, a tentacle made of shadow had punch through her body, it flailed lifting her off the ground.

"No," he screamed, his eyes burning a luminescent blue. His power flared out from him, warping the world around him. When it faded, he and Selena stood beneath his mother, the dark green tentacle buried through her stomach still holding her in the air.

Not willing to accept his mother was so gravely injured, he followed the tentacle down to the main body. The creature looked like a giant squid, multiple green tentacles fanning out from his body, a single pink eye in the center of its mass locked onto him.

"Harry!" His mother screamed, but he ignored her. His attention solely focused on the creature that was trying to take the only parent he had left away from him.

Releasing Selena, he barely noticed her scamper away to crouch in the far corner, her light blue eyes locked on the creature that had driven her mad.

His gaze traced the creature, his psychic power showing him the dark aura wafting off the creature. A faint echo of the power trailed off linking to Selena.

That's right. Selena was his anchor in this world. The only way to truly beat him would be to sever that anchor. A spell diagram flashed in his mind, it was based on a demon banishing ritual found in one of his mother's books. He'd been converting it into runic script. He just hoped it was powerful enough to work.

The creature roared, shaking the building. The air from its mouth smelled like old meet. Bile rose in Harry's mouth as the wind tugged at his clothes. His gaze flicked to his mother, taking in her paling form. Pushing down his discussed, he began the ritual.

Putting his hands together, Harry drew them apart. Strings of blue energy connected his fingers weaving into three circles of rectangular runes, each growing smaller towards the center. In the center was an upside down triangle made of curving circular runes.

A tendril of power snaked out from the triangle, plucking a pale blonde hair from Selena's head.

The tendril withdrew, settling the hair in the center of the triangle.

Shuma-Gorath launched three of its tentacles at him, each one stiff the points acting like spears.

For a moment, Harry froze, he couldn't move, if he moved the ritual he was holding together would collapse and he wouldn't be able to send Shuma-Gorath back, but if he didn't move he would die. He swallowed, his legs shaking.

A shout of intelligible words snapped him back to reality. The tentacles froze, an aura of purple energy holding them in place. Harry glanced up at his mother, sweat poured down her face, her right arm outstretched, the fingers of her right hands splayed.

Despite having a tentacle rammed through her stomach, she was still mentally strong enough to cast the spell to save his life.

"Finish it Harry!"

With a force of will, he sent the runic circles forward. The ritual slammed into Shuma-Gorath just below his eye.

He screamed at the impact, his body lurching backwards. The runes rotated a black oily tendril of power shimmered into existence, revealing the connection he had with Selena. Reaching out a hand laced with light blue energy; Harry squeezed the tendril his face scrunching up at the undying hunger he felt in it.

Applying more pressure the stream of dark power shattered. Shuma-Gorath screamed as his connection to this world was severed, the runes now burned into his body rotated in the opposite direction, pulling him out of their reality is if he was sucked through a tube.

As Shuma-Gorath vanished, Lily plummeted to the floor. Reaching out with his power, Harry caught his mother, nearly falling as her weight settled onto his mind, the exhaustion of the whole ordeal hitting him like a meteor.

Dropping to his knees beside his mother, he stretched forth his hands over her stomach, trying to convert his unique mixture of psychic and magical energy into healing energy, his hands shook a faint aura of green energy flickered around his hands then died.

He shook his hands, "Come on," he shouted, "work!" His voice cracked at the end.

"It's no use baby," Lily whispered, a steady pool of blood growing beneath her body, "you've exhausted your energy it will take a while for it to return, but by then it will be too late."

Dread settled in the pit of his stomach and tears burned in the corners of his eyes. His mother had always been honest with him, even when it hurt, but for once, for the first time in his ten years of life, he wished she would lie to him.

"No," he croaked tears streaming down his face, "I can't lose you too. I can't be alone, please."

A sad smile settled on Lilly's face, she raised her hand cupping his cheek. "I've already cheated death once baby, but eventually everyone has to pay their due. Now, it's time for me to pay mine."

"What are you talking about?"

Lily coughed spraying blood down her chin. Taking a moment to regain her breath, she stretched out a tendril of power connecting it with her son's chest. The world lurched sideways, and Harry found himself somewhere else.

– **XX –**

When he regained his footing, he was standing in his family living room. A glass coffee table, its top held in place by a twisted metal frame sat at his knee. Just behind him was a large black leather couch. On the other side of the table was a large mantle decorated with baby pictures, their silver frames glinting in the pale white light coming through the window.

The sensation of a thousand spiders running across his skin traced up his body, he twitched clenching and unclenching his hands trying to get rid of the feeling, but persisted. A cold shiver ran down his spine, causing goose flesh to rise on his skin.

His mother shimmered into existence on the couch one leg crossed over the other an apologetic smile gracing her features, "Sorry about the discomfort, being connected to the dying is never pleasant."

Harry moved over to sit beside his mother, "Mom, where are we?"

Lily looked at him with watery eyes, offering him a sad smile. She slipped a hand into his, "I merged our minds so we can have a little more time together."

Desperation filled Harry's gaze, "There must be something we can do? You're the only family I have left."

Lily shook her head, "That's not exactly true?"

"What do you mean?"

Lily shook her head. "We'll get to that in a moment. Right now, I want you to know the history of my side of the family; I want you to know the legacy you'll be responsible for."

Nerves roiled in Harry's stomach. A feeling of anticipation settled on his shoulders. His parents never talked about their family, he knew his father was a mutant.

He assumed his mother was too, considering the strong connection she had to magic, other than that he didn't know much about his family. He knew his father came to England to escape American persecution of mutants, but other than that nothing.

Seeing her son waiting Lily took a deep breath, squeezing his hand, "My name isn't Lily Joan Grey. My true name is Annataz Arataz, daughter of John Arataz, and I am a Homo Magi, a race born in an entirely different multi-verse."

Harry sat there stunned, his eyes wide. He had heard of the multi-verse theory, a theory in which small or large choices created a parallel universe. He didn't know whether he believed it, but hear was his mother telling him she came from another multi-verse, he doubted she would spend her last moments lying to him. "How?" he breathed

"I come from a world of criminals," she looked away, "I'm ashamed to say back in my old life I carved out a place for myself among that criminal empire. I was the most powerful magic user on my world, but there were others with even greater power."

"Lois Lane, Superwoman, an Amazon blessed with the powers of a god, Ultraman, an alien who drew enough power from the radioactive remnants of his home world to move planets, then there was John Jones, a Martian, and finally Alexander Luther, the most powerful of all these forces, he was blessed by a mystic lightning. Anyone he killed, he absorbed their powers completely. That along with his genius level intellect made him the most dangerous."

"Together we did horrible things," her gaze hardened, "and eventually we paid the price."

"A being known as the Anti-Monitor attacked our world. The people I previously mentioned," she sneered, "the crime syndicate tried to fight him. They were swatted away like flies."

"After their defeat, they came to me proposing that we use science and sorcery to create a bridge between worlds and escape our fate. I didn't really want to die, especially not by the hands of the anti-monitor, so I agreed."

"For months Alexander Luther, Ultraman, and I combined our expertise, creating a golden skull with Ruby eyes to be our Noah's Ark," she flicked her hand, causing a translucent image of the skull to float over the coffee table, "The skull would use a combination of advanced science and magic to bend the fabric of reality, creating a portal to a world we would escape to. However, shortly after its creation we realize that it would require more power than we could produce in the world's current state."

She shook her head, "It was then I was reminded of something very important."

"What was that?"

Dropping her hand, the image winked out, "never trust the Crime Syndicate. With the job done, Ultraman and the rest of his cohorts imprisoned Alexander. They then activated a failsafe, absorbing me into the skull, planning to use my very soul to power the portal that would place our Ark on another world."

Harry choked, soul magic was one of the most unpredictable branches of magic there was. "How is it possible they could place a spell like that in the Ark?" he asked ending the question with uncertainty at the last word.

His mother leaned back into the couch, pulling him with her, "I was foolish. My second-in-command John Constantine made a deal with the syndicate. If he imprisoned me to help power the arks journey into a new world, they would bring him with them," she shook her head. "The fool, the Crime Syndicate was never going to keep their word."

Leaning into his mother's shoulder, Harry inhaled her scent, realizing this may be the last time he gets to do so. She smelled of roses and ozone. Raising his head slightly, he looked into her eyes, "If you were imprisoned in the skull, how are you here?"

A grin split his mother's face, "I had a failsafe, the moment I entered the skull, I was supposed to be injected into the other reality, with the skull exploding behind me, but instead I was injected into something called Hyper time," she shook her head, "don't ask, because I still don't know what it is. I only know the name because I saw speedsters from within Hyper time refer to it."

"For what seemed like years, I floated in hyper time, watching my other dimensional counterpart, Zatanna Zatara, live a more fulfilling life. Despite the tragedy of losing her father, just as I had, she was able to find happiness."

"After seeing the consequences of my choices, I resolved if I ever got out of hyper time, I would make better choices and make up for the sins of my past," she squeezed his hand, "I think I've done that, you are my redemption Harry, the greatest thing I've done in both my lifetimes."

"Thanks mom," Harry muttered staring down at his lap. She was the most powerful magic user in her world. He had just been coasting by on his talent. He needed to live up to her legacy.

Despite knowing time was short and wanting to talk about something else, he had to know, he cleared his throat, "How did you get out of hyper time?"

Lily raised her shoulders, "I honestly don't know. A wave of dimensional energies rocked hyper time, and then a great source of magic tore open a hole in reality. I fell through, along with some others. The trip into this reality, caused my body to regress, I was found at the age of two by Martha and Saul Evans. You know the gist of the rest."

"So, basically I'm an alien."

Lily snorted, "If you want to get technical, yes."

"What do you want me to do with this information mom?"

"I don't care what you do with it, but you had a right to know your history, and considering the circumstances."

Despair slammed into Harry like a runaway train, "Is there nothing we can do?"

"I won't lie to you, there is some magic that can save my life, but I won't have you stain your soul for me, I won't have you walk down my old path."

Harry opened his mouth to tell his mother he would walk down any path if it meant saving her life and not being alone in the world, but was cut off by a powerful wave of magic,

His mother jerked up her body tense, "Our times up, someone's here."

Before Harry could say anything, the world lurched sideways again.

– **XX –**

Harry gasped the scent of antiseptic filling his nose as he took in a lungful of air. For a split second his body seized as he felt his mother's pain through their connection, her entire midsection was nothing but fire.

Then the cold grasp of death slithered through his body. The magical tendril attaching him to his mother vanished leaving behind slight tremors that shook his body.

After a moment, the tremors faded. He looked to his mother, but her light blue eyes were locked on something behind him. Slowly, he turned.

Standing behind him was a man. The lips of his heavily tan shriveled face pressed in a thin line as he surveyed the battle scene. His long pointed white beard twitched as one corner of his mouth curled, he opened his squinting eyes, revealing a dark brown.

"You have both done well to take out Shuma-Gorath," he said in an aged but strong voice that conveyed power and wisdom.

"Who are you?" Lily asked her voice surprisingly strong.

The man's gaze fell on her, his body shrunk beneath the gold embroidered crimson cloak draped across his shoulders. "My dear child, I am so sorry we arrived too late."

Lily glared at him, her face becoming paler with each second, "That… Doesn't… Answer my question," she panted.

"My name is Yao, I am the current sorcerer supreme of earth."

"Well Yao, you've been doing a sucky job. I thought the sorcerer supreme was supposed to stop stuff like this from happening."

Yao's thin wrinkled hands curled into fists. "Someone with extraordinary power is tearing holes in reality, weakening the membrane between worlds as a whole," he glanced over at Selena, "Making it possible for Miss Lovegood to accidentally tear a hole to another dimension."

Harry's lips pressed together, once he was strong enough. He would make the person doing this pay.

"So," Lily asked her voice just a breeze, "what happens now?"

Harry glanced at his mother, he may not have had medical training, but he could see death encroaching, her skin was paper white, her carotid artery barely moved, and her eyes were becoming glassy.

"That depends on you. I owe you a boon for defeating Shuma-Gorath."

Harry glanced at the ancient one, a spark of hope leaping in his heart.

"I don't suppose you could fix me up?"

The ancient one shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Shuma-Gorath's dark power interferes with my own abilities, by the time his energy disperses, you will be dead."

Lily inclined her head, "I figured as much, then to repay my boon, I want you to train my son," Harry's gaze snapped to his mother, "Help him harness his unique abilities."

The ancient one inclined his head. "It will be done."

Harry moved closer to his mother, cutting a path through the pool of blood. Trying to ignore the life-giving liquid soaking through his jeans, he stared into her eyes, "mom, I don't want to leave you," he shook his head, "not like this."

"Baby, I've got seconds, a minute at most left. You need to become strong to survive in this world. The ancient one can help you with that. Because of the magic of my boon, he will not be able to hurt you, and with the magical world moving to otherworld, this is the only option."

She reached her trembling hand into the pocket of her robes, pulling out an envelope sealed with the Gringotts insignia. "When you've finished your training, opened this, it will reveal to you the family you have left."

Gripping the envelope, Harry opened his mouth to ask why he couldn't just go to family, but his time was up, his mother's eyes drifted closed, the vein in her neck stuttered to a stop.

"Mom," he asked in a quavering voice, "mom," he repeated a little louder. He shook his head, repeating know over and over again, tendrils of blue power rising from his body.

With a scream, the building shook, the tile floor exploded, the pieces reduced the powder.

The ancient one raised his hand, conjuring a golden oval-shaped shield in front of himself and Selena. When Harry's body fell forward, shaking with sobs, he dropped the barrier.

With a gesture, he sent Selena back to her family, the damages done by her accident repaired. Another gesture and a circular portal opened behind them, its edge is dancing with golden fire.

Moving forward, he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Hadrian, I am sorry for your loss, but we must go."

Slowly, Harry rose to his feet, moving on autopilot into the unknown.


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 2**

Fifteen-year-old Hadrian Grey sat in his room in Kamar-Taj, the mystical monastery run by The Ancient One to train all who lived there in the mystic arts. An icy breeze swept through the room's rectangular window wrapping around his lean muscular body.

Energy leached out of his body phasing through the walls as it reached high into the sky. It slammed into a dome covering the monastery. A frown crossed Harry's features. The monastery was a great place to train, but the barrier that hid the building didn't allow it to be sensed by outside sources, which also kept his magic from sensing the outside world.

Shifting his body, he allowed the tension to drain from his shoulders. Over the past five years he had discovered that the constant use of Psionic magic to reinforce his body had strengthened his muscles and made his bones denser. Slowly he released a breath and opened his eyes, revealing lightly glowing blue orbs.

Moving out of his cross-legged position, his knees popped as he rose to his feet.

Stepping forward he removed his dark blue robe from a peg on the wall before sliding it over his upper body.

It matched well with the loose grey pants draped over his lower body. Grabbing the white sash, he tied it into a knot with practiced ease, his gaze lingering on the envelope his mother had given him before her death.

Moving over to the small desk at the end of his straw bed, he pulled out the chair. Sliding into it he let his gaze sweep the small room.

The people of Kamar-Taj lived simply, with the monastery being in the Tibetan mountains they couldn't exactly go to a store to pick up what they needed.

A simple straw bed, complete with a thin blanket and pillow lay in the far top corner of the room. A small table set against the opposite wall.

A foot away from the end of the bed sat his desk. A small recess carved out of the wall with his own magic sat just above the desk holding this month's books taken from the monasteries library.

Wong the monasteries librarian liked Harry, but he was very protective of the books, only allowing him to take a few at a time under oath that they would be returned in pristine condition.

Shaking his head, he turned to look down at the letter. Despite wanting to keep it, he wanted to honor his mother's last wish, so he had given the letter to The Ancient One for safe keeping, until the man deemed him strong enough.

He picked it up, spinning it over in his hands, the seal wasn't broken. There was no magical aura around it, so The Ancient One hadn't opened it. He didn't think the man would, but he was also the paranoid sort.

Slipping his thumb underneath the top of the envelope, he broke the seal flicking out the parchment within.

 _Gringotts transfer papers._

 _Account name – Lily Evans Grey._

 _Assets within account – fifteen thousand galleons +50,000 pounds from husband's life insurance +10,000 from husband's killed in line of duty fund._

 _Total assets transferring to a mundane bank – 134,550 pounds,_

 _Properties owned by Lily Evans Grey – Brownstone on Baker St., Manhattan New York._

Harry sat down the paper; he remembered the place on Baker Street. His mother took him there before they went to Gringotts. She had already moved most of their stuff there. He glanced at the money transferred to Jamison's bank in New York.

His mother wasn't stupid when it came to money, he would have to go to the bank and check out how it had grown over the past five years,

Reaching for the second piece of parchment in the envelope, Harry flipped it open.

 _Lineage for Annataz Arataz/Lily Evans Grey,_

 _John Arataz, father,_

 _John Grey Senior, father-in-law,_

 _Elaine Grey, mother-in-law,_

 _John Grey Junior, husband,_

 _Liam Grey, brother-in-law,_

 _Roger Grey, brother-in-law,_

 _Sara Grey, sister-in-law,_

 _Julia Grey, sister-in-law,_

 _Jean Grey, sister-in-law/husband's female extra dimensional counterpart._

Harry stared at the words husband's female extra dimensional counterpart. What on earth did that mean, did his father come from another universe like his mother, if so why didn't his mother send him to be with his father's family. He shook his head; there were too many questions here. If he wanted answers he was going to have to go visit his family.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts, "Come in."

The door slowly slid open, revealing The Ancient One. The old man looked around him with half closed brown eyes before finally settling his gaze on Harry.

The man hadn't changed in the past five years. He was still tall and rail thin with heavily wrinkled tan skin. A long white beard cut his torso in half, resting against the black shirt beneath the crimson robes, the ropes golden embroidery sparkled in the sparse candlelight of the room.

Harry flicked his hand, the single candle sitting on the corner of his desk multiplied four times, before floating to the four corners of the room. "Is there something I can help you with sensei?"

"I need you to test a new initiate for me?" The Ancient One replied, his voice showing none of the weakness of his outward appearance.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh." The Ancient One usually kept him away from the others of the monastery. He took his oath to his mother very seriously, training him in private with Wong assisting with physical combat.

Sliding his chair back, he rose to his feet, "Who am I fighting?"

"Stephen Strange," the two exited the room.

Stepping into a long hallway, the two walked side-by-side.

Harry noticing for the first time he was an inch taller than The Ancient One. A smile tugged at his lips, looks like he wouldn't have to look up as much anymore.

He glanced around him, pillars made of grey rock sat equally spaced throughout the hallway, in between each pillar was a door leading to another room. Long shadows stretched the hallway, kept at bay by torches mounted to the pillars. They walked in silence with only the sound of their shoes gliding across well-worn brown stone breaking it.

"So, what can you tell me about this Stephen Strange?"

"He is a physician who lost the delicate use of his hands. He came here hoping I could repair them. When I told him I couldn't, he turned to leave, only to turn back when he saw the Barons attack."

Harry's hands curled into fists, Baron Mordo had attack The Ancient One in order to claim his power, he shook his head, he still didn't understand how that worked, since each Sorcerer Supreme had their own power.

He failed, but if it's one thing he couldn't stand its traitors, especially those that worked against the man who had taken him in after his mother's death.

Pain flared in his chest, even after five years he still wasn't over his mother's death, an image of her body lying in a pool of blood flashed through his mind, he shook his head, advancing his skills in the mystic arts helped, but he still missed her.

They stopped before a set of large wooden doors; The Ancient One thrust his hand forward, releasing a small blast of force that pushed the doors open.

Walking down a set of stone steps, Harry took in the grounds before him. People in grey robes stood in four neat rows. All performing the technique Wong was showing them. A stone wall ran around the courtyard, the magic of the monastery regulating the temperature in this part of the grounds.

Whispers broke out as the two stepped onto the stone path weaving through the garden.

Tension bled into Harry's shoulders at the attention, for the longest time he had been a not so well-kept secret. Now, he was out in the open, known to the world for the first time in five years.

"Class is over for today," The Ancient One announced, "you all may rest."

As the students filed out, The Ancient One called to a man at the end of the line, "Stephen, stay for a moment." The man moved out of line to take up a position in front of The Ancient One.

Folding his arms behind his back, Harry eyed the man.

Stephen strange was tall, two inches taller than Harry's own six feet. Shaggy dark hair brushed the collar of his robes. Grey hair at his temples gave him a somewhat disheveled but distinguished look. A beard curled around his jaw, ending in an unkempt point that draped off his chin.

Grey eyes sized Harry up with interest.

He raised a hand wrapped in bandages, offering it to Harry.

"I am Stephen Strange."

"Hadrian Grey, but you can call me Harry."

"Well Harry, it's nice to meet you, I didn't realize there were any teens around here." He aimed the last part of his statement at The Ancient One.

The corner of The Ancient One's lips curved, "Harry is a special case. As a matter of fact, today he is going to help me test whether you are ready to begin the next level of your training."

Both glanced at The Ancient One, "What?"

The Ancient One exhaled, his body seeming to shrink in upon itself. "I believe it's time for you to begin your journey towards your destiny, Harry. Think of this is your final test to ease an old man's worries about you being able to defend yourself."

"Stephen you have the most potential of anyone I've ever seen barring Harry himself, I believe I know what your destiny will be, but I need to test your determination."

Both Stephen and Harry looked at each other before nodding. Together they moved into the center of the training ground.

The Ancient One stood off to the side three feet away, "Begin"

Stephen spread his feet apart launching a whip of golden energy at Harry with a flick of his wrist.

Harry sidestepped the whip a light blue aura swirling around him before sinking into his flesh, hardening his body. He launched himself towards his opponent nothing more than a blur to the naked eye. He thrust his fist forward, only for it to impact a shield.

Spinning on his right foot, he brought his left leg around in a kick. It slammed home in Stephen's ribs, sending him skidding sideways.

With his telepathic mind, Harry felt Stephen reach out with his will. He jumped back just as rock spikes burst out of the ground. Bending his knees on impact with the ground, he eyed his opponent.

He was more skilled in magic then he had anticipated, just how long had he been in his own little world. How much had he missed about the world?

Stephen eyed the boy before him, he was six feet tall with light blue eyes the color of ice and short red hair. Judging by his arms, defined muscle covered his body. He circled the boy, his dark blue robe fluttering in the breeze.

His beard twitched as his lips curled upwards. For so long things had been easy for him when it came to study, just put in enough effort, read enough books and he would succeed. However, now he finally had a challenge in a field he never knew existed.

Pulling energy into his body, he thrust his hand forward, blue bolts of electricity exploded from his palm, racing to close the distance between him and his teenage opponent.

Harry spun on his left foot, dragging his right along the ground, a smooth square stone shield rose up to defend him, only to explode on impact with the lightning, sending light brown dust wafting on the breeze.

Harry raised his arms. Jagged bits of earth stinging his flesh as they sliced open his skin. Exhaling, he sent Psionic magic to his wounds, wincing at the pulling sensation as the skin grew shut.

Movement behind him sent him spinning around, his hand shooting down to clamp around Stephen's wrist.

Breathing in through his nose, Harry began pulling the magic flowing through the man's arm into his body.

The fireball in his hand winked out as permafrost began crawling up his arm. The two stared at each other, small smirks on their faces.

Stephen twisted his body, preparing to bring his free arm around in a punch.

Feeling the shift in weight, Harry pushed his power outward, creating a light blue barrier that clung to his body like a second skin.

"Enough," The Ancient One called striding forward a bit of rock dust on his loose purple pants.

Releasing Stephen's arm, Harry stepped back glancing at the man, "Are you sure sensei? I can keep going."

"So can I," Stephen agreed.

The Ancient One smiled, "You may be able to keep going, but I would like my monastery to continue existing after your battle," he gestured around him.

The two looked around them. Grass had been torn up, leaving behind large swaths of bare earth. Two large holes accented them, left behind by the conjurations.

Harry looked at The Ancient One, a sheepish expression sliding across his face, "Sorry sensei." With a flick of his hand, a light blue aura washed from his palm fixing the damage.

The Ancient One inclined his head, "Thank you, but I could've always had the initiates do it to help build their strength."

Harry winced, phantom pains flaring in his back as he remembered the work he had done as an initiate.

"Now," The Ancient One continued, "for the reason of this battle, Stephen Strange, for some time now I have been looking for a replacement, you show potential only surpassed by one other," he glanced at Harry, "will you take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and defend the earthly plane against the dark forces that threaten it?"

Stephen stood there stunned, when he first arrived here. It was all about fixing his hand so he could return to his previous life. Once he saw what The Ancient One could do, he felt the pull, he knew magic somehow equated to his destiny, but he wasn't expecting this.

Clearing his throat, he glanced at the boy, Harry, "I accept."

Harry stepped forward, offering Stephen his hand. He wasn't upset Stephen was chosen to be the new Sorcerer Supreme, he knew when he arrived here Sorcerer Supreme was not his destiny. He didn't exactly know what his destiny was, but he knew it wasn't being Sorcerer Supreme, "Congratulations."

Stephen shook his hand, a smile spreading across his face, "If you ever want another spar come and find me."

"Count on it."

"Hadrian John grey, for the past five years I have trained you in the mystic arts preparing you for an unknown destiny. With this battle, I see you are ready to go out into the world. Go forth with my blessing and know that you always have a home here at Kamar-Taj."

Harry inclined his head, a dull ache in his chest, this place had never been like the home he shared with his mother, but it was a home. He would miss it.

"Thank you sensei."

"I am no longer your sensei. From now on you may call me Yao."

"Thank you Master Yao," Harry corrected bowing at the waste.

Straightening up, he moved passed The Ancient One a sense of excitement filling him at what the future would hold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 3**

Stepping out of his flaming portal, his rucksack bouncing against his shoulder, Harry stared at the building before him.

It was a three-story manor with columns holding up the wraparound porch. Pristine white siding covered the outside accented by black shutters, a railing wrapped around the top of the porch allowing the bedrooms on the upper floors to use it as a balcony.

A frigid November wind curled around his body, tugging at the dark blue robe draped over his torso.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, Harry allowed his eyes to scan the street. Larger houses lined the street on either side of the manor. The largest one was surrounded by a brick wall. Iron spikes decorated the top of the wall.

Curious, Harry approached the Manor eyeing the brass nameplate mounted beside an iron gate.

 _Montesi Manor, the family that stands against the dark._

Raising an eyebrow at the plaque, Harry reached out with his senses. A purple aura clung to the iron.

"So, I'm not the only magic user on the block," taking a step forward, he placed his hand on the wall. Energy flared down from the iron, meeting Harry's hand and pushing him back, "and apparently they're very powerful, since they can enchant a magical resistant metal like iron."

Turning he made his way back to the Manor, a heaviness gathering in his chest with each step. Stopping before the steps leading up to the front door, he stared at the black piece of wood with its brass trimmings while taking a deep breath.

He hadn't been in his home since his mother's death, part of him wanted to sell it, to distance himself from the pain of living in the last place his mother spent time in before she died. However as much discomfort as this place may bring him, it had some useful tools for the future.

Straightening, Harry climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the wood. With a gesture, minuscule runes along the doorknob flared to life.

A click reverberated through the quiet morning. Slowly the door swung open on silent hinges.

Grey sneakers glided across the hardwood floor as Harry entered the home, running his finger along the table just inside the door.

To his left was a living room furnished with black leather furniture. A white rug lay in the center with a dark mahogany coffee table sitting atop it, light reflecting off its glass top.

To his right was the dining room, a medium-sized table with eight chairs was positioned in the center. A cabinet of fine China set against the doorway leading into the kitchen.

Ignoring a doorway to the left of the winding staircase that led into the kitchen, he climbed the stairs, his pace quickening. Entering a hallway, he walked past a bathroom furnished in white tile and silver fixtures.

Beside the bathroom was a bedroom, a queen-size bed in its center. A dark black wooden canopy set above the bed, casting its white sheets in shadow. To his right were two more bedrooms.

Reaching the end of the hallway, there was a second bathroom on his right with a master bedroom taking up the space on his left. Directly in front of him was another staircase leading to the attic.

Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped forward, feeling a wave of magic wash over him as the wards hidden beneath the wood floor tested his magic. A slight give made him stumble forward and grab ahold of the railing leading up.

A smile spread across his face, "I guess the wards find me worthy." Slowly he climbed the stairs, letting his hand glide along the curved banister.

He really needed to check his bank account. A place like this would cost way more then what the Gringotts statements said they were transferring, unless his mother bought it as a fixer upper. With magic, it wouldn't take long to turn a dump into a palace.

Pausing before the door to the attic, he reached towards the silver handle. He shivered as his fingers wrapped around it, the runes etched into the metal flaring to life. A small prick in his hand caused him to yank his hand backwards, just in time to see a needle withdraw into the keyhole.

The door swung inward on soundless hinges.

Entering the room, Harry gazed around him. Bookshelves with hand bound books and leather lined the right wall. A smile spread across his face, these books contained the magic of his mother's world.

Shaking his head he continued his look around. More shelves lined the left side of the room, these containing jars of liquid or dry ingredients.

Straight ahead of him was a half circle window overlooking the street below.

On either side of the window were two shelves, these containing chock, metal, candles, and cloth.

A deep red rug covered the floor.

Two long tables sat in the center of the room spaced enough apart so that there was an aisle between them. One table held a cauldron, and other magical equipment, but it was the second that drew his attention.

On it was a single piece of parchment.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _If you're reading this then it means I have passed away, since the magic of the house was supposed to keep this letter hidden from you until then. This house is the house of secrets from my home reality. I bound it to my blood and soul and now pass it on to you._

 _In this place, you can further your study of magic and rise to the greatness I know you have within you._

 _Remember that I will always love you, my son._

Putting down the parchment, Harry wiped his eye with a finger.

The parchment burst into blue flames spiraling into the air, eyes widening, Harry took a step back only to be knocked to the floor as the flames leapt inside him.

A burning pain passed through his body before it faded, leaving behind a faint sense of knowing everything about the house.

Slowly Harry sat up, spinning his body until he was facing the bookcase containing his mother's work.

"Well, mom went to the trouble of writing down her magic, it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

With a flick of his hand, for books floated off the shelf, "Rituals of Creation," Harry mumbled letting his gaze sweep over the first book, its title written in elegant golden scrawl on the cover. The three other books were _advanced magical energy manipulation, potions of earth three,_ and _Arataz book of alchemy_.

For what seemed like hours, Harry floated in the air his mother's elegant scrawl floating before his eyes as knowledge seeped into his brain. Finally, the books closed slowly drifting back to their spots on the shelves.

Unfolding himself from the cross-legged position, he stretched his back as his legs hit the floor. He glanced at the books.

He didn't know if it was by design or pure luck that his mother's knowledge of magic matched well with the ancient one, but either way if all of her books were written in the same style he should be able to finish them all within a month or two.

His hands rose to his head, massaging his temples. There was way too much knowledge in those books to binge on and finish them quickly. Step-by-step instructions carefully teaching you some of the most powerful arcane arts he had ever seen.

Letting his hands fall away, he stared at the shelves full of magical supplies.

The knowledge in those books did give him an idea, sometimes magic failed, he needed a weapon. Something powerful that he could use to defend himself when magic wasn't possible. He took a step towards the shelves, only for a pulse of magic to freeze him in his tracks.

Though it didn't seem hostile, the dark malevolent force that washed over his body caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Slowly he turned, staring down the stairs in the direction of Montesi Manor.

He shook his head, whatever magic Montesi was using. It wasn't any of his business.

Another pulse slammed into him, this one tinged with desperation and fear.

Okay maybe he should check it out.

Releasing a breath he closed his eyes. He felt a sense of weightlessness as a light blue translucent version of his body rose from his flesh.

Willing himself forward, he drifted through the wall a sense of vertigo passing over him as he passed through the solid object.

– **XX –**

Harry looked up, a half-moon hung in the sky, but the stars seem to have pulled away from the earth tonight letting darkness take hold. He glanced down. He was floating five feet above the ground, the shrubs encircling the back of his house hidden in the shadows of the overhang of the roof, their combined efforts hiding him from view from anyone with the site, the ability to see into the unseen world.

Glancing towards Montesi Manor, he saw a light purple barrier clinging to the brick wall and the iron spikes like a second skin. Each time the pulse of malevolent power shot out from the house, the barrier would weaken for just a millisecond.

Harry floated forward, waiting on the next pulse to weaken the barrier so he could slip inside. When the next pulse came the dark purple almost black energy pushed him away, making him realize he was more vulnerable as a specter.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward, wondering whether if whatever he was going to find in the house was worth this trouble.

– **XX –**

Victoria Montesi jump to side, wincing as the claws of her attacker grazed ribs. Sweat poured down her face, burning her brown eyes, strands of her dark hair clung to her lightly tanned forehead.

Dark pink energy flared around her hand. She thrust it forward, bolts of power flying through the air.

Her 4'11" assailant jerked under the impact, the arms splayed out to keep them from falling, three claws protruding from the knuckles on each hand shining in the light.

Again golden runes shone along there leather outfit. Her assailant shifted their weight. Hunching forward, they launch themselves through the air, the bone claws positioned to pierce her chest.

– **XX –**

Harry emerged from the wall into a living room. White furniture was flipped over. A coffee table had been smashed, and drops of blood stained a white fur carpet.

In one corner of the room stood a woman of Italian descent, her long black hair flowing down the back of her white dress. Sweat glistened on her tan face in her brown eyes were locked on a shorter opponent dressed in leather.

Blue eyes shone from beneath the leather clad woman's mask. Two scars ran in a straight line going vertical from her eyes. Bone claws sprouted from the knuckles on each hand, punching through her leather gloves.

Dark hair flowed down her back as golden runes glowed along the leather.

Harry narrowed his eyes, the runes were rectangular in shape, but most ended leaving one side of the rectangle open. Extra shapes were drawn in the open space.

The leather clad girl hunched forward launching herself into the air, her claws poised to stab the Italian woman through the chest.

Reaching back through his connection with his body, Harry pulled on it feeling his body moving towards him at high speed.

Normally when someone was in astral form they couldn't affect the physical world, but according to the ancient one his unique magical signature was a mix of Psionic and mystical energy, giving him a few unique abilities.

As his body approached the brick wall around the Montesi estate, Harry released his hold on the astral plane.

– **XX –**

Blue eyes snapped open and Harry flung his arms out to the side, freezing in midair an inch from impacting the brick wall. Releasing a breath, he winced as pain flared through his body.

Looking down at himself, he noticed scrapes and rising bruises covered his arm. Looking back, he grimaced at the human sized hole in the side of his new home.

He had forgotten he was indoors when he pulled his body to him. Driving magic through his body, he groaned as the scrapes and bruises faded. He then pushed more energy through his new connection with the house, allowing it to use his energy to repair itself.

Turning back to the wall, his site allowed him to see the barrier clinging to the bricks. It was weaker now, a barely noticeable purple light clinging to the physical stone.

Poking his finger forward, he dragged it through the air, the magical barrier around the Montesi estate offering minor resistance. When the magical circle was complete, golden fire burned in a circlet before him.

Placing his hand in the center, he pictured the room he had saw the Italian woman battling her leather clad assailant in. With a sound like shattering glass, he was looking into the room, the leather clad girl flying towards the Italian.

Harry lunged forward, the portal sizzling shut with a hiss as he passed through.

– **XX –**

Victoria tensed, pink energy gathering around her frame as her leather clad assailant grew closer. Her slender hands closed into a fist, she was about to die she knew that, the runes on her attacker's leather armor nullified magic.

Suddenly, a portal exploded open. A red-haired man flew through, his dark blue robe billowing behind him.

"Oh, great another one."

– **XX –**

Landing on one knee in the Montesi living room, Harry thrust his hand forward.

A light blue aura wrapped around the leather clad girl. The Golden runes on her leather armor flared.

Wisps of blue energy wafted off her body, Harry winced as pressure was applied to his mind. His arms shook as he fought to keep her in the air.

"The runes must be removing the magic part of my Psionic magic," he muttered to himself. Twisting his upper body, he threw the girl away.

She smashed through the living room window, rolling along the lawn, before coming to a stop at the brick wall.

– **XX –**

Victoria Montesi watched as the red haired newcomer rose from his kneeling position.

"Miss," he asked approaching her, "are you alright?"

Victoria crossed her arms under her breast, unintentionally pushing them higher, "who are you?"

He stopped a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "My apologies, I am Hadrian Grey, your new next-door neighbor."

Victoria glanced out the room's remaining window, she could only see the brick wall surrounding her estate, but she knew about the white manor that had appeared next-door. "Are you magical?"

"Among other things, may I check for your other guests?"

Victoria nodded watching as he moved over to the window.

– **XX –**

Harry stared at the window, unsurprised to find the leather clad girl had vanished.

"I take it she's gone?" Victoria asked.

Harry nodded, his eyes catching a few dark hairs clinging to the broken glass. Raising his hand he pinched the dark hairs between his fingers before flicking them into his sleeve, "Yes, she's gone."

He turned away from the window, "Do you have any idea why she attacked you?"

Victoria shook her head, her dark hair swaying, "No I don't. She just appeared here."

"Appeared as in by magic or appeared as in snuck in without you noticing?"

"Honestly I'm not really sure."

"Either way, she's got someone helping her. She didn't make those runes that nullify magic."

"She?" Victoria asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You didn't notice?" Harry asks a question in his voice.

"I was trying really hard to stay alive," Victoria deadpanned, "so I was more concerned with the bone claws heading towards my vital organs."

"Yes," Harry rubbed the back of his neck, his face getting a little red, "well your attacker was a young girl, long black hair, and blue eyes. Due to her lack of curves, I would say she couldn't be older than eleven."

"Well, thank you for the information Mr. Grey, but I think it's about time for me to start cleaning up."

"Of course," Harry moved towards the wall, another circular portal opening up before him, "it was nice to meet you Ms. Montesi. It would be nice to do it again under better circumstances."

With that Harry stepped through disappearing with a flash of golden light and a hiss.

"What an interesting boy," Victoria commented eyeing the spot where Harry disappeared. She shook her head, "I really need to fix the barriers around this place. The last thing I want is people dropping in unannounced."

A pink aura flared around her body as she set about repairing her home.

– **XX –**

Appearing back in the attic, Harry removed the hairs from his sleeve with a flick of his wrist, "who are you?" He asked the hairs, "and what were you after?"

He shook his head, he could think on that in the morning, right now he needed a shower and bed. Having to use pure Psionic energy drained him, he would have to work on that.

Turning he made his way to the attic door, the lights from the curled silver chandelier hanging in the center of the room clicked off as he crossed over the threshold.


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 4**

Harry sat cross-legged on the rug in the attic, the first rays of the rising sun shining through the half-moon window before him, casting its warm glow onto him as well as the tables on either side of him.

With his hands making a small circle in his lap, he released a breath allowing the outside world to fade away around him.

A sensation as if he was falling backwards swept through his body.

– **XX –**

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark void with two large rivers of energy floating in the air above him. One was a thick swirling whirlpool of dark midnight blue, while the other was a raging River of light blue almost white energy.

Following the river with his eyes, he saw the two strings merged becoming a light blue like crystal clear water

A frown slipped onto his features, according to his mother's books, this was his inner world. What he was looking at was the mental representation of his psychic power and magic. He stretched his hand towards the light blue almost white energy a familiar warmth settling over him.

He stretched his other hand towards the other energy. It felt cold and faint whispers filled his ears.

Removing his hands from the energy, his energies were equally balanced, but unlike his magic, he had neglected using his psychic energies. The ancient one had only been able to teach him so much to do with that part of his power.

He was lucky if his father would've been anyone else, his psychic power would have withered from disuse and he would've had to build it up again, or maybe it was because his magic and psychic energies were intertwined so tightly.

To achieve true balance he needed to find a teacher.

Turning towards the blue whirlpool that represented his psychic energy he shoved both hands into it, in a moment he was swept along the current the whispers becoming louder as he reached the point where the two energies merged.

Loud voices pounded in his head like sledgehammers. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out the noise while also trying to remember what his father told him when he discovered Harry had inherited his psychic talents.

Focusing his will, he set about creating blocks to shield him from outside influence, instead of relying on his magic's natural protection. He felt the psychic whirlpool flare.

A cool power rushed through his body, different than his magic. It imparted to him strength of will, instead of the unlimited potential of creation magic provided.

New ideas formed in his mind on how to use the energy, but he shoved them to the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand.

For what seemed like hours, he floated in the crystal clear blue colored energy. When he finally opened his eyes, he was in the center of a circular maze. Glancing around the luminescent walls of energy, his eyes locked onto the only entrance to the center of the maze. Focusing his will, a section of the floor made of the same translucent energy vanished.

Floating down the hole, he imagines spikes protruding everywhere around him tearing a person's mind to shreds. At the very bottom, he willed a larger serpent into existence. He stared into the creature's yellow eyes, imparting it's one and only task to it.

Anyone that fell down the chute, the basilisk was to eat and feed the person's knowledge to him.

With that done, he slowly released a breath opening his eyes.

– **XX –**

He found he was floating two feet off the ground. Slowly unwinding his legs, he flexed his hand. Though he had only constructed mental barriers, he felt lighter somehow, like an unused part of him had been reawakened.

He shook his head, glancing at the tables on either side of him, either way he wasn't going to be able to learn much by himself. He was going to have to find a teacher. He thought back to the parchment with his family tree on it. Jean Grey was supposed to be his father's other dimensional counterpart, whatever that meant, did that mean she had psychic powers too. If so would she consent to train him?

Walking around the table, his gaze fell on the hairs he took from the woman in leather.

That was something to think about later, right now he had a mission to find the girl that attacked Victoria Montesi. Part of him wanted to leave it alone, part of him said that it was Montesi's problem not his, but a larger part of him said that there was something bigger going on. Besides if there was someone out there who could make others immune to magic, then he was vulnerable, especially in his current condition.

With his back to the bookshelf, Harry let his gaze swim over the shelves of potion and ritual ingredients. What should he do first, create a weapon, or craft the tracking spell.

Weapon first, he decided. If he was going to hunt down someone that was immune to his magic, he needed an edge.

Raising a hand, a bar of silver floated towards him, along with a jar of Dragon scales, basilisk venom, and an ink pot along with an assortment of brushes.

Just as the ingredients settled on the table, a bell rang through the house.

Harry tensed, energy gathering around him. No one but Miss Montesi knew he was here, and she didn't seem the type to visit. Slowly, he sent his will outward's forming it into a psychic probe not powerful enough to read whoever was here's thoughts, but powerful enough to tell him their intentions.

If they were here, that meant they knew who he was and at least some of his abilities, the last thing he wanted to do was get trapped in a mental battle with an unknown.

Finding mental shields, but no hostile intent, he glanced down at himself, taking in the white button-down shirt, and dark slacks with bare feet poking out the bottom.

Shrugging, he ran a hand through his dark red hair while making his way to the door. They were visiting him in his home unannounced. They could excuse his state of dress.

– **XX –**

Striding down the main staircase, Harry allowed his hand to glide along the curved banister while his eyes stayed locked on the front door. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he wrapped himself in an invisible barrier of psychic power, manipulating the energy running along his hands to act as a psychic probe when he touched whoever it was on the other side of the door.

Physical contact should allow him to break through the mental barriers protecting his visitors mind and give him the upper hand just long enough to subdue them.

Stopping at the door, he peered out the hole in its center, taking in the pale skinned dark haired man on the other side. Grabbing the handle, he pulled the door open, keeping his face a blank mask, "Can I help you?"

The man removed his hands from his dark blazer pockets, "Hadrian John Grey?" He asked.

"That depends on who's asking."

"I am Strong; I work for Jamison's bank. I'm here to talk to you about your account."

"Odd name Strong."

The man's lips twitched in a barely noticeable smile, "It's a family name."

"So what is it about my accounts that you want to talk about?"

Strong looked from side to side, his brown eyes lingering on the Montesi estate, "I would rather discuss your personal information inside."

Increasing the power wrapped around his body just short of being noticeable, Harry stepped back, "You better come in then."

The moment Strong crossed the threshold, a bright flash exploded from his body.

Harry jumped back, his ocean blue aura flaring fully around his body as energy coalesced into daggers in his hands.

When the light faded, Harry found himself staring at a goblin. He was four feet tall, wearing the same dark suit. It now looks odd against his dark skin, the color of used leather. His hands were thinner. His fingers were longer with an extra joint.

He raised his hands, the pointed tips of his fingernails gleaming in the light coming in from outside. Yellow eyes met Harry's glowing blue, "I mean you no harm, my previous form was a magical construct so I could walk around without being accosted in the outside world."

A yellow eye drifted to the open door, a large pointed ear twitched with nerves, "Do you mind if I shut the door. If it's left open then me coming here dressed in a construct would become a moot point."

Harry barely inclined his head.

The goblin twitched his finger, slowly the door swung shut.

"So," Harry began as the door clicked into its frame, "what is a goblin doing at my home, I thought all of them left for otherworld with the rest of the magical world of Britain?"

Strong shook his head, "Not all, a few clans stayed to assist those that decided to stay on earth."

A dark red eyebrow slowly lifted, "As far as I'm aware, goblins don't do charity work."

The goblin grinned, showing two rows of serrated teeth, "There are plenty of investment opportunities to be made in this world, if one works hard enough. That is more than enough incentive to stay behind."

Harry's lips curled despite his nerves. That sounded more like the goblins he knew.

The goblin glanced into the living room, "Do you mind if we sit down?"

Harry nodded, gesturing for the goblin to go first.

Once they were seated on the dark leather furniture, Strong looked at him, "As I said before, I'm here on behalf of Jamison's bank. We have been taking care of your mother's assets since your disappearance, and in accordance with her wishes, once you turn fifteen their control is to be handed over to you."

Harry allowed the blue energy around him to fade. Goblins very rarely attacked the people they did business with. After all a dead man couldn't make money and goblins were all about making money.

Interlacing his fingers, he leaned back in his chair, "What are the assets looking like at this moment?"

Strong held up his hand, a piece of paper appearing between his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it to him.

Leaning forward, Harry caught the paper with his thumb and pointer finger. Rolling his wrist, he flipped it open.

 _Name on account – Hadrian John Grey._

 _Age – fifteen._

 _Species – unknown._

 _Liquid assets in account – $300,000._

 _Properties owned by account holder – house of secrets of earth three, Baker St., New York._

Curious about the species unknown part of the print out, Harry locked eyes with Strong, "You do know normal banks don't give out the species part right?"

Strong's serrated teeth flashed again, "Jamison's bank prides itself on giving customers unique services."

Harry cocked his head to the side, "Why Jamison's bank?"

"Jamison is the last name of a man who built an empire out of nothing, even after failure he is been able to rise to success again. That impressed us so we named our bank after him."

Harry nodded, personally he would've used Stark, but he supposed that name was two well-known and would draw too much attention. "So, what happens now?"

"Well," Strong rose to his feet, "if you don't need anything, I will take my leave."

Harry raised a hand, "There is one thing."

Strong turned to face him, his hands folded behind his back.

"I want you to take a hundred and fifty thousand dollars and by as much gold as you can. I then want it delivered here."

"Why?"

"Call it a rainy day fund."

"Anything else?"

"Take fifty thousand dollars and invested in the companies you think will make a profit. If you triple the investment within the next year, I will give you twenty percent."

Strong nodded, "If that is all I will take my leave, your gold will be delivered in the next two days by magic." Strong made his way towards the door, his form shimmering as he retook his human visage.

"One more thing. Is Strong your real name?"

Strong looked back, a hint of a smile on his lips, "My full name is Strong Jaw."

– **XX –**

Five minutes later, Harry entered the attic. With a flick of his hand, the chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling burst to life. Moving behind the table, energy shone in his eyes, causing them to glow a light blue.

An aura of red energy danced around the Dragon scales like flames, while Emerald green energy streaked with black billowed out from the basilisk tooth.

Placing one hand over the scales and the other over the basilisk fang, he forced a tiny bit of his will into the auras slowly guiding them into the silver, imbuing it with the durability of Dragon scales, and the poison of the basilisk fang.

During his training with the ancient one, he learned that by guiding the aura of animal parts into magical conductive metal, he could imbue the animal's traits into the metal.

Moving his hands over to the bar of silver in the center of the table, he focused his will, forcing the auras now dancing on the metal deeper, forcing them into the core.

When he was finished, the silver glowed with a red aura. Black streaks curved along the angles of the metal.

Exhaling, Harry released his sight.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he stared at the metal. The hard part was now done, the metal would be stronger and easier to mold as long as he formed his new weapon with magic.

Glancing at the basilisk fang, a frown slid onto his face as he eyed the pile of ashes.

It appears removing the lingering magic from an animal part caused it to decay at a rapid rate. Lifting the lid of the clay jar containing the Dragon scales, he found more ash.

With a flick of his hand, the two piles of ash vanished in a flash of light.

Raising his right hand, he curled his pointer finger, pulling a vial of Dragon's blood from the shelf of ingredients while using his left to pull the ink pot to him from the corner of the table.

Removing the dropper from vial of Dragon's blood, he added two drops to the ink, using a small brush meant for fine details to mix the red liquid in with the ink.

Once the blood was fully integrated, he began painting swooping runes onto the edges of the metal. Once the bottom and top edges were covered in the runes, he picked up a needle and began drawing the blade of the dagger into the center of the bar of silver.

Once finished, he focused his will.

The runes flashed in the bar of silver floated into the air. It burned yellow, heat radiated from it as it lengthened taking on the appearance of a curved dagger.

He would have rather created a sword, but that would require more metal, and a sword was more difficult to conceal. As the heat faded from the blade, it floated back to the table its edge gleaming in the light of the chandelier.

Grabbing it gently by the tang, Harry swung it towards the corner of the desk. It passed through it like it wasn't even there, sending the angled piece of wood dropping to the floor.

Nodding, he sat the blade down, banishing his ink and brushes back to the shelf. His gaze swept over the shelf of crafting materials searching for suitable handle material for his new weapon.

A hissing sound caught his attention. He glanced at the corner of the desk to find smoke rising from the wood as it rotted away before his eyes.

Okay, the good news is the basilisk venom from the fang had been imbued into his blade, making it a more deadly weapon. The bad news is that venom is now eating through his table.

Stretching his left hand forward, he pulled the magical aura out of the poison eating the table, funneling it back into his blade.

The rotting stopped, the smoke faded, leaving behind a blackened section of wood.

Making a mental note to fix it later, he turned his attention back to the crafting shelf. His eyes landed on a block of elder. A smile curled his lips.

In the wizarding world there was a story of three brothers being visited by death, one of the brothers was given a wand that was said to be unbeatable. The wood of that wand was said to be elder. It seemed fitting for elder to be the handle of his new dagger, especially since the blade was infused with basilisk venom.

He glanced down at the blade, once finished this weapon would bring death to anyone it cut.

Curling his fingers, he pulled the wood to him, while raising the blade with his mind.

Slowly he pushed the tang of the blade towards the wood, while bending a small recess in the material. Once the wood and metal were joined, he spun the blade in the air like it was on a lave contouring the wood to the blade. Blocky runes smoked as they were burned into the wood, strengthening the beveled handle.

The final touch before the blade drifted to the table, was leather wrapping around the handle, hiding the runes and the tang poking out from the top and underside of the handle from view.

Harry's gaze flicked from the dagger to the three hairs of the leather clad assailant. His hand curled into a fist, it was time to go hunting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 5**

Again Harry sat in the center of the attic, his new dagger strapped to his side his chest slowly rising and falling as the sun sunk below the horizon, stretching long shadows along the floor just below the window.

Easier than last time, he felt the sensation of falling backwards sweep over his body.

– **XX –**

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the circular maze of his mind. Still sitting cross-legged, he brought his hands together forming a circle in his lap.

With his new weapon complete, he decided it would be best to go find the woman in leather at night, that way there was less of a chance of him being spotted, before that though he had to reinforce his mind, he didn't feel like the maze was enough.

Slowly, he began enacting his plan. Thinking back to his earliest memory, he pushed it out of his mind in the form of a tendril of white energy. Catching it in his circled hands, he imagined the energy warping, changing into a star.

When its form was solid, he released it, watching it shoot above the two rivers that danced above him. An image of his father floating things around him when he was two flashing through his mind as it settled in the sky.

For the next hour, he repeated the process until there were hundreds upon thousands of twinkling stars in the sky.

Staring up at the sky, he slowly rose to his feet, the River of psychic and magical energies weaving their way through the sky reminding him of pictures he'd seen of the Aurora Borealis.

Taking a deep breath, he released it.

– **XX –**

Opening his eyes, Harry again found himself floating above the floor. A smile spread across his face as he untangled his legs and landed softly on the red rug beneath him.

He glanced out the window, his gaze hardening, night had fallen. It was time to find the woman in leather.

He glanced down at himself, taking in the white button-down shirt and dark slacks, but first if he was going into battle, he needed to be better prepared.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, images flashed through it, information flowing through his mind like a forgotten memory.

He paused, his head cocked to the side. Since organizing his inner world, he had gotten better with his psychic abilities. Even though it had only been a few hours since he started he could tell a difference.

Despite that, this information flowed into his head like his shields weren't even there. Was this the magic of the house? He knew it could repair itself, he knew it could protect itself, but giving him information, providing what he needed. This place was a lot more powerful than he expected.

Turning towards the attic door, he strode forward, his hand resting on his dagger.

– **XX –**

Making his way down the staircase, lights clicked on above him. Leaf shaped lanterns that beat back the darkness and were reflected in the polished railing.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Harry turned to the left. Directly across from him was the kitchen. Light from the streetlamps coming through the arched windows of the kitchen reflected off the stainless steel appliances.

Paying attention to the appliances for the first time, Harry paused wondering if the house updated every couple of years, or if his mother installed them.

Shaking his head, he continued straight, stopping at a door just past the stairs. With a gesture, it opened. Peering into the darkness, he blinked as bare light bulbs clicked on, revealing a staircase descending downwards.

Keeping his hand on his dagger, Harry took a step forward, descending into the darkness.

The door swung shut behind him, settling into its frame with a click.

– **XX –**

Clomping down the stairs, Harry surveyed the room before him. Racks lined the room in neat rows, different pieces of armor gleaming in the light along with close from almost every era.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, his feet scraped along the stone floor, the sound filling his ears in the silence.

Ignoring the racks of clothes for now, Harry moved to the armor. Walking along the racks, he eyed the chest sitting beneath each.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he knelt next to the nearest one. Placing his palm atop the lid, he pushed it open.

Inside was an assortment of papers, a diary, and a money pouch. Scooping the bag of leather into his palm, he hefted it, weighing the contents. Opening a gap with a finger, he peered inside, finding an assortment of coins, most were bronze or silver, but there was a few gold pieces mixed in.

Dropping the bag back into the trunk, he rose to his feet, surveying the line of trunks that sat throughout the room. He wondered how much money was hidden here. He shook his head. He would think on that later, right now he had a mission.

Not wanting a full set of armor, Harry moved over to the incomplete sets, eyeing a black chest piece with a golden dragon etched in its center. Magic radiated from the Dragon.

Withdrawing his dagger, he slashed across the armor, a golden barrier flaring to life around the chest plate and pushing the dagger away.

A smile curled his lips, he was definitely taking this. Raising it off the stand, he was surprised to find it weighed no more than traditional leather armor, but chocked it up to the magic flowing through it.

With his chest protection chosen, he moved over to a section of armed guards, letting his site show him anything that was magical.

Finding a pair of armed guards with a decorative serpent like blue dragon etched into them, he picked them up. The blue dragon glowed to his sight. Slipping them over his arms, they resonated with the chest piece, creating a magical barrier around his body that clung to him like a second skin.

For a moment, he hopped up and down testing the weight. Then he twisted at the waist checking his range of movement. Lastly, he threw a few jabs and kicks.

Once he was satisfied the armor wouldn't impede his movements, he moved over to the other clothes, picking out thick jeans, and a heavy pair of black boots as well as a black leather duster with dark red runes hidden in the seams.

Wrapping the sleeve around his hand, he pulled with all his might. When the arm reached its limits, the runes glowed pulling against his strength.

Satisfied, he threw the duster over his body, the brown leather gloves of his gauntlets poking out the sleeves.

Dressed for battle, Harry made his way towards the stairs. It was time to hunt down the woman in leather.

– **XX –**

Entering the attic, Harry moved over to the table with the cauldron on it, lighting the burner beneath with a flick of his hand.

For a moment, he stared at his hand, ever since constructing his inner world his magic seemed to flow easier.

Moving behind the cauldron, he curled the fingers of his left hand towards the alchemy shelf, bringing forward a jar of sand, feathers, and distilled water.

According to the Arataz book of potions, any ingredient could be used. It was more about the will of the caster, then anything to do with the ingredients. However, magical ingredients would give better results.

Pouring the distilled water into the cauldron he waited for it to come to a boil. Distilled water was important when it came to potions, removing the minerals from the water allowed the magic to flow through it more freely.

Next, he poured in the sand, the sand represented anchoring the spell to the earth, so the magic did not disburse back into the ether.

Placing his right hand over the cauldron, he rotated it clockwise before reversing to counterclockwise.

The muddy liquid stirred in time with his hand.

Moving the jar of feathers close to him, he pulled out a dark brown feather with a black tip. Rolling it between his fingers, he wrapped the hairs of the woman in leather around the feather with his left hand.

He released the feather watching it float atop the boiling liquid, before the liquid consumed it.

The feather would be what allowed the spell to go to its target.

Now for the most important part, exhaling he gripped the cauldron with both hands, feeling the heat of the metal through the leather of the gauntlets.

Ignoring the heat, he focused his will forward. Energy flowed through his hands before seeping into the liquid.

His will would be what powered the spell.

A bright flash pierced his eyelids.

Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times to clear the spots from his vision.

In the bottom of the cauldron was a glowing white tear shaped jewel.

Reaching his hand into the cauldron, he scooped the jewel out, feeling his magic complete the spell and bind itself to the jewel.

Moving away from the cauldron, he placed the items back on the shelf with a flick of his hand.

Standing before the half-moon window in the center of the room, he pushed it open. Holding the jewel in his palm, he stuck it out the window, feeling cool November air swirl around his skin.

The jewel pulsed in his palm before rising into the air and shooting off.

Focusing Psionic magic through his body, Harry lifted himself into the air, the jewel burning bright in his mind. A grin stretched his face as he shot after the jewel, wind whipping his dark red hair, his light blue eyes glowing with power. It was time to get to the end of this mystery.

– **XX –**

As the city fell away below him, giving way to pine, maple, and oak trees, the air grew colder, causing his fingers to burn. Flexing his hands, he stared at the half-moon more stars becoming visible as he ventured deeper into the Canadian wilderness.

An hour into his flight, the wind picked up and snow began to fall, soaking through his jeans. Cycling magic through his chest, he envisioned a candle flame burning at his core, growing bigger and brighter until it was the size of a bonfire.

The bite of the wind faded away, and steam began to rise off his clothes.

The glass tear shot downwards. Angling his body, Harry followed it, the trees giving way around him. Stopping at the edge of the trees, he watched the tear continue on to hover over the buildings before him.

Harry stared at the buildings, functional concrete structures surrounded by a metal fence topped with large strands of curled barbed wire.

Glancing around him, he knelt down, focusing extra heat into his left hand.

The snow melted away, allowing him to touch the grass hidden beneath. Closing his eyes, he sent his mind through the earth. Geo sensing wasn't usually one of his talents, but magic opened up a lot of possibilities.

He clenched his eyes shut as his probe impacted something deep beneath the earth, sending a rippling wave outward that gave a three dimensional image in his mind.

"Underground generators," he muttered, "powerful enough to run a small city." He opened his eyes staring into the buildings before him, "Just what have I gotten myself into?"

Rising to his feet, he stepped towards the buildings, power wrapping itself around him. He made it two steps before a growl caught his attention. Another psychic pulse shot from his body, filling his mind with an animalistic hunger.

Slowly, he turned locking eyes with three sets of glowing red orbs hidden in the shadows of the trees, "Well shit."

– **XX –**

Kimura, security commander for the facility stood staring at the screens before her, her green eyes flicking from one to another, her dark hair swaying with each move of her head. "What have you found my pretties?" She questioned, her bright red lips barely moving.

Each camera was connected to a predator, genetically engineered wolves designed to hunt down those with X genes otherwise known as mutants. The cameras were directly connected to the Predator's brains, allowing her to see what they saw in real time, but the only thing they were showing right now was a blurred outline.

She moved, her black and grey outfit accentuating the curves of her 5'9" frame.

Leaning forward, she stabbed her finger into a keyboard. A red overlay filled the screen.

Turning, she made her way towards the door, the sound of snarling wolves filling the room at her back. _'Let's see how our new guest does when the Predators attack.'_

' _Who knows, maybe I will be able to join in the fun.'_ Turning down in empty hallway, the footsteps of her thick boots echoed off the smooth steel walls.

– **XX –**

Harry tensed, his hand drifting to his dagger as three wolves emerged from the trees, the red eyes locked onto him, moonlight glinting off their metal bodies.

"What in the world?"

They moved with an animalistic grace that no machine could match. The telltale wine of servos was absent. "What are you?"

Their pointed ears twitched, their black rimmed lips rippled as they snarled, revealing all too realistic metal teeth. Clear saliva dripped onto the ground.

Harry took a step back, the crunch of snow sounding unusually loud.

The first wolf lunged, its mouth open to take a bite out of his flesh.

With a flick of his wrist, Harry launched his dagger at the wolves head, cursing himself for not creating a weapon with a longer reach.

The wolf went down with a yelp. The poison imbued blade buried in its head slowly eating away its metal face.

Rolling to the side, Harry brought up a light blue translucent shield. The second wolf bowled into it, digging a trench through the snow with Harry's knees as it drove him backwards.

Slightly curling the fingers of his right hand, Harry willed spikes to emerge from the barrier.

The wolf yelped as the spikes bit into its metal body, oil like purple blood staining the snow.

A weight slammed into Harry's body, driving him to the ground and causing his shields to flicker out. He shoved his left arm forward, the energy field around the gauntlet flaring as the third and final wolf chomped down.

With the wolf's weight pinning his left arm to his body, Harry reached his right upwards, wrapping his will around the handle of his dagger. With a mental tug, it flew into his hand. Without thought, he drove the blade upwards, seeking to Pierce the beast in the space between its collarbones.

The wolf twisted its head at the last moment, causing the blade to create a shallow cut on the side of its neck.

The cut began to steam, eating away at metal tissue.

With a yelp, the wolf hopped backwards, its red eyes still locked on him. The eyes began to glow as a deep growl built in the beast's chest.

Harry's eyes widened as red beams flew towards him, melting the snow and burning the ground beneath them as they close the distance.

"Metal dogs with laser vision, who in their right mind gives metal dog's laser vision!"

Spinning out of the way, Harry thrust his right arm forward, a psychic ripple exploded from his palm, rippling outwards to send the wolf flying away with a howl.

Thin white clouds drifted on the air before him, obscuring his vision.

Exhaling, Harry lowered his arm, blinking the sweat from his vision. It seemed to have gotten colder over the past few minutes, goose flesh rose on his body even beneath his clothes.

A growl brought him back to reality, the second wolf rose to his feet, its wounds healing before his eyes, "Great." He glanced at the third wolf, only to see most of its head reduced to a puddle of melted metal, "Well at least that's one bright side."

– **XX –**

Kimura raced across the snow, using her powers to make her body feather-light. A flash of red in the distance caught her attention, causing a smile to curl her lips.

'Well, it looks like one of the dogs used its new toy,' she turned her head, following the howling spec as it flew into the distance.

She started forward again, gritting her teeth as the wind whirled around her, trying to push her weightless body back.

– **XX –**

Flipping his dagger around, Harry let the spine of the blade rest against his forearm. Locking eyes with his opponent, he sent mystical Psionic energy through his body. In an instant he felt stronger, his body lighter, his senses sharper.

With his eyes glowing a luminescent blue, a deaths head grin stretched across his face, "Alright Fido, show me what you've got."

The wolf spread its legs, its muscles tensed readying itself to jump. Its blacklined silver lips rippled as a growl reverberated deep in its chest. With a snarl, it launched forward, its jaws open wide, its red eyes shining with energy.

Harry dove forward skidding in the snow on his knees. While continuing to move, he flipped his dagger around so that he could thrust it upwards.

The wolf yowled as the blade pierced its stomach, its own momentum digging aligned down its body.

Harry grimaced as the hot purple oil like blood splashed all over his clothes. Raising his left hand, he wiped the liquid from his eyes as it began to burn. A resounding thump behind him caused him to jump.

Tense, Harry spun on his toes.

They're lying on the ground just a foot behind him was the wolf. The last vestiges of its strange blood seeping out on the ground from a near foot long gash starting just below its ribs.

Slowly, Harry pushed himself to his feet, his right hand tightening around his dagger on instinct. The primal part of his brain was screaming at him to leave the beast alone, to continue on his mission, to leave, to do anything but what he was about to do.

He moved forward, his eyes locked on the beast, with each crunch of the snow beneath his boots he expected the beast to leap up.

Kneeling beside the wolf, Harry poked around the wound keeping one eye on the creatures glazed over gaze.

Its insides sizzled, the basilisk venom the blade turning its organs to mush.

"Purple blood, metal skin, laser eyes, there's no way this thing was born naturally."

"You are right about that."

Harry spun, mystical Psionic energy wrapping around him.

A woman about 5'9" stood before him, her dark hair speckled with snow, strands of it partially hiding her tan features. A black and grey bodysuit hugged her curves, holsters wrapped around her legs holding different kinds of weapons.

On instinct a psychic probe connected with her mind. Her name was Kimura, Images of a drunken father, and a mother who was always asleep on the couch when the beating started flash through his mind.

That was when the darkness began to be born, the scene changed, showing him a teenage Kimura being picked on at school because of her shoddy clothes. Uninterested teachers ignoring the signs of abuse to prorate her on unfinished homework, and the darkness grew.

A grandmother's futile attempts at repairing the damage, but by this time only a creature that wanted to hurt was left.

Breaking eye contact, the probe shattered, causing Kimura to stagger.

With a hand on her head, Kimura stared at the boy before her. She had just relived her entire life in a moment, her gloved hand curled into a fist, her crimson lips twisting into a sneer, "What are you?"

Harry barely raised his shoulders, exhaustion pulling his arms towards the ground, "Still trying to figure that out."

Kimura's green eyes swept over the bodies of the predators then back to the boy. Whoever this kid was, he had managed to take down three of the facility's greatest weapons. He could definitely be of use, a cruel smile spread across her face, and she could show him the consequences of messing with her mind.

Raising a hand into the air, Kimura made a fist.

Men in white combat fatigues shimmered into existence, their blocky rifles trained on Harry.

Kimura leaned forward, "You're coming with us."

Harry scanned the people before him, a dull ache settling between his shoulders, he counted six soldiers? Guards? Plus Kimura, he could probably take them, but did he really want to waste the energy, his body ached, and the cold was starting to seep deep into his bones.

Besides, he was trying to get into the facility anyway. This was much easier than sneaking in. Slowly, he raised his hands.

A sharp pinch to the neck caused him to flinch backwards. Reaching around with his left hand he pulled a feathered dart from just above his collarbone, he raised an eyebrow at the soldier with the smoking gun, "Really?"

With that, he crumpled to the ground, darkness consuming him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 6**

Harry's eyes blinked open, slamming shut again as bright light filled them. He let out a low moan, his dry throat feeling like it was tearing itself apart. He flexed his wrists, only to find them restrained.

His head felt like it was packed with cotton. Letting out a shallow breath he laid there taking stock of himself. He flexed his legs, finding them bound around the ankles.

So, his legs and arms were bound, his throat was dry, and whatever they shot him with made it hard to think. His thoughts felt sluggish, which would make it hard to use his powers.

According to the ancient one, his Psionic and magical powers were intertwined with one another. To gain complete mastery over this combined energy, he needed to master Psionic which was the manipulation of the physical world, and magic which was pure possibility.

He'd been taught to be a master of magic by the ancient one himself, but mastering the psionics would require a different kind of teacher.

Relaxing his body, he allowed his power to flow through him, it was sluggish at first, the drugs in his system messing with his control, but eventually the drugs lost the fight in the world came into sharper focus.

A female voice filtered into his ears, "His mutation is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's changing right before our eyes. This could revolutionize the project."

Turning his head towards the voice, Harry slowly opened his eyes, giving his eyes a chance to adjust to the light. His vision didn't swim anymore, but it would be a few more minutes before the drugs were completely out of his system.

' _Note to self, it is a very bad idea to let yourself be captured.'_

A woman of Korean descent stood a few feet away, her dark hair pulled into a severe bun, the edges of her lab coat only revealing her dark heals.

A short round man stood beside her, eyeing another computer screen, light reflecting off his receding hairline, "his brain waves are changing," the man said, a heavy Scottish brogue in his voice, "I think he's waking up."

The woman turned light shining off her horned rimmed glasses. She strode forward, her sharp features coming into better focus with each step. She stopped before him, her dark eyes scanning him from head to toe, "What kind of mutant are you?"

Locking eyes with her, Harry was in her mind in a moment.

Her name was Sarah Matthews. She was adopted from North Korea at the age of three by Jim and Mary Matthews. Growing up in a family where she was different than her parents, made her curious about her history, which grew into curiosity about genetics.

After hearing about mutants, she became curious why mutants developed the powers they did. She never quite figured out the answer, but she was able to make certain powers manifests in lab rats grafted with the X gene, which drew the facility's attention.

Harry's face twisted into a frown, his forehead wrinkling as he processed the information. So, this was some kind of genetics lab? The person he was looking for dealt in magic. Usually, science and magic stayed away from each other.

Flexing his bound hands, Harry pushed deeper, searching for anything to do with a young girl.

The world around him faded away, and he found himself somewhere else.

– **XX –**

Harry found himself standing in a small room with smooth white walls. A metal chair was mounted to the tile floor. A tray of instruments sat to its right, while monitors with tubes running from them sat to the left.

In the chair with tubes running to her arm was a young girl, familiar dark hair ran past her shoulders. Blue eyes stared impassively at Sarah as she looked at the computer in the far corner of the room.

"Her DNA is not degrading."

Sending out another tendril, Harry connected to the Scottish man's mind, linking the two scientist's memories together.

Ethan McClellan pressed day finger to the girl's wrist, feeling her strong pulse drumming against his touch. "How are you feeling today X twenty-three?"

The girl in the chair cocked her head to the side, staring at him as if she had never heard the question before.

Ethan withdrew his hand, his loafers squeaking on the floor as he straightened and backed up. Thick fingers swiped across his brow, brown eyes stared into the young girl's blue, "Are you in any pain?"

Slowly, X twenty-three shook her head.

A feeling of regret caused Harry to focus on Ethan. The memory around him blurred as he dug for the man's history.

Ethan McClellan grew up on a farm in the Scottish Highlands. He was happy working the land tending to the animals. He could see himself doing that for the rest of his life, until age 15 when his father started showing signs of dementia.

Hating how the disease ravaged his father's mind turning the once strong wise man into an easily angered child. He threw himself into becoming a doctor and psychiatrist studying the disease not only from a clinical point of view but also emotional.

By age thirty, he had developed drugs that would stall dementia's progression, but it came with a cost. His marriage of five years ended. His wife left him taking their two-year-old son with him. After the divorce, he threw himself into his work. Eventually his knowledge of the human brain caught the attention of the facility.

The memory came back into focus. Harry folded his arms behind his back, X twenty-three reminded Ethan of his own son Henry, he felt guilty about what they were doing to the girl, while Sarah Matthews was only interested in how her mutation developed.

Harry took a step towards the girl in the memory, a little disconcerted as he moved across the room without a sound. Stopping before her, he let his eyes scanned down her body, taking in the pale green hospital gown she wore.

He raised a hand to massage his temple, trying to alleviate the minor pain building there, it was like another part of his brain was opening to him, but it wasn't pleasant. This was the first time he had ever stayed in a mind this long. Usually, he focused on just downloading the information he needed.

After a moment, the pain faded leaving him with what felt like a greater control over his mental faculties.

Shaking it off for now, he focused on the girl's face.

This girl was too young, she also lacked the muscle mass of the woman in leather, but then why did the tracking spell lead him here? What was going on in the facility? How did it tie into the woman in leather and the weakening in the barriers between dimensions?

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, releasing his hold on the memories.

The memory blurred around him.

– **XX –**

Harry blinked, breaking eye contact with Sarah.

Sarah missed a step, stumbling forward.

Ethan walked forward, a clipboard clutched to his chest like a shield, "How are you awake?"

"What are you?" Sarah added straightening up.

Focusing Psionic energy into his restraints, Harry looked them over in his mind. According to the ancient one, psychic energy was bound in the laws of reality, while magic was pure possibility. His combined energies would allow him to do incredible things, or so the ancient one said.

Focusing Psionic magic on his restraints he pictured in his mind his wrist passing through them like they were made of water. Once he had the image firmly in his mind, he turned to Sarah, answering her question.

"Still trying to figure that out," With a twist of his wrists, Harry pulled his wrist through the now intangible shackles.

Sarah and Ethan tensed, both taking a step backwards.

Twisting his upper body, Harry locked glowing blue eyes onto them.

Both scientists froze, their eyes glazing over. Focusing his will on the shackles holding his feet, Harry lifted his leg upwards. His foot passed through the shackle like it wasn't even there. Repeating the process with the other leg, he twisted his body letting his legs dangle off the bed table combination.

Making sure the shackles were still intact, so there weren't any obvious signs of him breaking out he dropped to the floor, checking himself over.

His duster was gone, but his gauntlets and chest plate were still on. Looking around him, a hand drifted to his waist, his dagger and sheath were gone. He should've known they wouldn't let him keep such an obvious weapon.

Putting his missing dagger out of his mind for now, he took in his surroundings.

He was in a moderately sized room, dark blue tile floors were offset by sleek metal walls. Two computers set on two desks three feet away from the strange table like bed he had been lying on.

Screens on stands took up a spot halfway between the desks and his former accommodations. Those had been the things that his two captors had been working on.

The thing he had been lying on was seven feet long, adjustable manacles were attached to the table by tracks. A strange bundle of electrodes sat at the top of the table.

Stepping towards Sarah, Harry had to wonder why they didn't use the electrodes on him. Had he not been here long enough for them to set it up, or had they already taken scans of his brain?

Stopping before Sarah, he placed his thumb, pointer, and middle finger on her temple, her eyes drifted shut the orbs rolling behind her eyelids as Harry copied her knowledge. When he was done, he moved over to Ethan, repeating the process.

His head ached for a moment at the new knowledge, but he felt that it would be useful on understanding what he was dealing with here.

He stepped back from Ethan as the pain faded, letting his hand dropped to his side. He stared at the man, "You created the trigger scent that turns X twenty-three into a monster, as well as some type of super steroid for the soldiers here, he shook his head, I want to be angry with you, but I would do worse to protect my family."

Moving back to the center of the room, Harry closed his eyes. After taking a moment to synchronize his breathing, he reached out with his mind, touching everyone but X twenty-three.

A flash of pain swept through his brain as the number reached the triple digits, his hands shook and a trail of blood ran from his nose as he touched the last mind.

He released a breath as he felt his magic flayer, adjusting his body to the new strain. The pain faded, but the left over blood on his upper lip tickled. He ignored it for now, focusing on the task at hand.

Now connected with their minds, he placed a subliminal message to ignore him. Now, they wouldn't see, smell, or hear him. Releasing his connection, he stumbled backwards slightly while wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Righting himself, the door to the far end of the room hissed open, he tensed as Sarah and Ethan came back to life, both of them turning towards the door.

A broad shouldered man walked through, the recessed lighting making him look like he had highlights in his brown hair. His brown eyes swept the room, his strong jaw twisting into a sneer as his gaze locked on to the two doctors.

"Matthews, McClellan, have you figured out a way to improve the X project?"

Sarah straightened, pushing her horned rimmed glasses up on her nose, "Not without degrading X twenty-three's current mutant abilities, Director Rice."

"It would help if we could take a look at the other subjects DNA."

Rice shook his head, "We can't risk it. The tank she's in is the only thing keeping her alive."

Cautiously, Harry took a step forward, when neither of the room's occupants reacted to him, he stopped beside Rice Reaching out with his mind. It would be easier with skin on skin contact, but the time for training wheels was over. Besides it seemed the more he used his Psionic abilities, the easier it became to do things.

The conversation of the other three in the room faded to the background as Harry absorbed information from the newcomers mind.

His name was Zander Rice. His father was the scientist in charge of the original weapon X program. After the original weapon X, James Howlett a.k.a. Logan killed Dale Rice, Dale's partner Martin Sutter gave Logan's dog-tags to a young Zander.

For the next couple of years, Zander studied everything he could about genetics. Eventually he was brought into the weapon X program, to create Logan successor, he used this chance to torture X twenty-three in order to get revenge for his father, but the memory that really drew his attention was the discussion on the creation of X twenty-three.

Focusing on that memory, the rest of the world faded away as he drifted into the past.

– **XX –**

Harry materialized in a room set up like a rectangle.

Zander Rice stood directly in front of him dressed as he did in present-day. A white lab coat draped over a black turtleneck and grey slacks. Dark shoes clicked on the linoleum floor as he moved closer to the woman in the room, computer monitors lining the table to his right casting his elongated shadow on the metal walls to his left.

She was 5'6" with short dark hair that stopped at her shoulders. Clear green eyes stared at Rice with determination. Her bright pink lips disappeared as her mouth formed into a thin line. She moved forward, a shapely leg swinging interview with each step, her black high heels clicking on the floor.

Slender hands balled into a fist, "I don't see what the problem is. I completed the project."

"The problem is, Miss Kenny," Zander snarled, a hint of madness in his brown eyes, "the facility did not want a female weapon."

Reaching out with his mind, Harry connected with Sarah Kinney, merging her memories of the events with Zander's.

Happiness flooded through him as he felt Sarah Kinney's joy at accomplishing something no one else could, for months they had failed to create a clone of weapon X, but where they had failed, she succeeded.

"Fine," Sarah shuddered at the tone in Zander's voice, "if you feel so strongly about this, you can carry the project to term."

Sarah's eyes widened, she never wanted to have children, not after her own childhood.

A cruel smile spread across Zander's face, "You wasted company resources on this project of yours, it's only right that you bear the responsibility of bringing it to fruition."

The world spun again in a barrage of color.

When it settled, Harry found himself in a hospital room, a heavily pregnant Sarah Kinney lay on the bed in the center of the room, gripping the plastic railing. Beads of sweat trailing down her pale face, her green eyes clenched in pain as a contraction hit.

Ethan McClellan moved to her side, anticipation and pain radiating off him. "One more push Sarah, and it's all over," he said his voice calm and reassuring, memories of his wife giving birth to their son pushing themselves to the forefront of his mind.

Sarah fell back onto the pillows, her eyes locking onto the florescent lights, "I can't. I'm too tired."

Ethan gripped her hand, "Yes you can, Sarah, now come on, bring your daughter into the world."

"She's not my," Sarah panted, only to scream as a contraction hit. Tightening her grip, she pushed her scream mingling with a baby's cry a few minutes later.

Harry's gaze focused on Sarah, despite what she said a strong desire to hold her daughter blossomed within her as a nurse wrapped the babe in a blanket.

Exhaling, he released his connection to the memories.

– **XX –**

Harry blinked. This X twenty-three obviously was not the girl that had attacked Victoria Montesi. She had no magic, but there was definitely something going on in this place. Striding towards the doors Zander had come through, Harry slipped his hands into his pockets, it's time he found out what it was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 7**

With the florescent lights above him buzzing in his ears, Harry strode down the hallway leading away from his former prison, his footsteps echoing off the linoleum floor. His blurred reflection moving along with him in the steel walls that made up the hallway.

He glanced around him, men and women in lab coats walked up and down the hallways, going about their business. His hands curled into fists, how could so many people be part of abusing a child?

Shaking his head, he focused on the tracking beacon still burning in his mind. Reaching out with his senses, he could tell it was near X twenty-three. It was time to find out why his spell brought him here.

– **XX –**

Fourteen-year-old X twenty-three sat with her legs curled beneath her, heat building on the leather pants clinging to her legs. Removing her feet from beneath her, she swung them off the bench that made up her bed. Her blue eyes scanned around her, taking in the white tiles that covered the walls of her room.

She glanced to the top corner of her room, a strand of black hair hiding one eye.

A black dome with a red light in the center was mounted to the corner. The tension in her body eased as the red light moved away.

Reaching into the leather vest that covered her chest, she pulled out a white tear shaped jewel.

It pulsed with power, sending a pleasant warmth through her body.

Laying her hand down on her bed, she made sure the jewel was hidden between her palm and the bed.

The door to her room hissed open, her mother, Sarah, walked in. Her dark hair pulled back into a bun, to loose strands coming down to frame her face. Her green eyes looked her over. An emotion X twenty-three didn't understand flashing through her eyes.

Her mother moved forward, her white lab coat opening slightly to reveal the seafoam green blouse and light Brown khakis hidden beneath. Her dark brown slip on shoes slapped against the floor.

Sarah moved to her smoothing out her lab coat as she sat down, "How are you today, X twenty-three?"

X twenty-three tilted her head to the side, wondering why this woman didn't call her daughter like in the books she read to her. The scent was similar, they had to be mother and daughter, so why?

"I am fine, Doctor Kinney," X twenty-three replied, watching the minute wrinkle of the woman's face.

"That's good," Sarah glanced at the camera in the corner. X twenty-three followed her gaze, finding the red light in its center missing.

"So what are we…?"

The door to the room hissed open, causing both women to tense.

– **XX –**

Harry stopped before a door with a thick metal frame. The thick square piece of steel in the frame reflected his blurred red-haired visage.

The door hissed open, revealing the mother-daughter duo within.

X twenty-three tensed, two metal claws slowly emerging from the knuckles of her ring and middle finger.

Raising his hands, Harry stared into X twenty-three's light blue eyes, "Easy, I'm not here to hurt you, I just need some information."

"Who are you?" The elder of the two asked, laying a hand on X twenty-three's shoulder.

"I'll gladly answer your questions, but could I maybe enter the room."

"Enter just enough for the door to close, then freeze where you are."

Harry stepped over the threshold, the door hissing shut behind him.

"Now who…"

Harry locked eyes with the woman, diving into her mind.

– **XX –**

Harry found himself standing in a kitchen on a white linoleum tile floor. A fridge set in a recess beside the sink. The window above the sink revealed a middle-class neighborhood. Bright midday sun bathed the houses, each of them a little blurry in the memory.

A circular table with three chairs around it sat in the center of the room.

A heavily pregnant Sarah Kinney sat at the table with her sister Deborah.

Deborah ran a hand through her short dark hair, her green eyes locked on to her sister, "So what are you going to do?"

Unconsciously a slender hand drifted down to her protruding stomach lightly rubbing the soft pink fabric covering it, "I don't know. X twenty-three belongs to the facility."

"This is more than just some project, Sarah, this is your daughter your own flesh and blood."

"I know that," Sarah snapped, strands of black hair flying into her face, "but I never wanted children not after how we were treated."

Watery images split the room, showing a dark haired man beating two young girls, his screams were unintelligible, but the meaning behind the image was clear.

Harry's hands curled into a fist at the way the girls cowered before the man.

The blurred image of a woman cowered in one corner, her hands clasped before her as she watched the man beat her children.

The images faded.

"I didn't want to accidentally continue the cycle," Sarah whispered staring down at the table.

This memory let him know that Sarah probably would not stop him from helping X twenty-three, but he needed more. Reaching out with his mind, he pulled on a more recent memory.

The world around him spun, becoming a myriad of colors.

– **XX –**

Sarah stood before a large rectangular window, staring down on a wood-paneled room with white mats covering the floor.

X twenty-three stood across from a man of Chinese descent, both of them wore loose white clothes. Light reflected off the man's bald head as he charged forward, his thin mustache and pointed goatee bending with the wind.

He lashed out with a foot, X twenty-three caught it only to be knocked to the ground by the man's left fist. His dark eyes narrowed as he helped X twenty-three climbed to her feet, "You must always be aware of your surroundings"

Throughout the exchange, Harry kept his gaze on Sarah.

The reluctant mother leaned forward, her fist pressing into the keyboards before her, the computer screens around her zoomed in on X twenty-three.

Sarah leaned forward, her green eyes unblinking as the new bruises on X twenty-three faded away. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her long black hair.

'Funny, I was afraid to raise Laura because of my own abusive past,' she shook her head, 'the facility is more abusive than my father ever was.' She glanced at Laura, 'I have to do something. I have to get my daughter away from here before she loses all of her humanity.'

More images flew by of Sarah reading to Laura, spending as much time as she could with her away from prying eyes, anything to help her remember that she was more than just a weapon.

Seeing enough Harry willed himself to the conscious world, allowing the connection between him and Sarah to vanish with his departure.

– **XX –**

"Who are you?" Sarah repeated, her green eyes narrowing.

Laura slid from the bench. Crouching, she held her arms out, her clause gleaming in the florescent lights of the room as she prepared to jump.

Harry raised his hands, "Easy, my name is Hadrian Grey, I just followed the clues left behind by a recent attack. I wasn't expecting to find a place like this." He cocked his head to the side, reaching out with his senses, finding no mystical energy around Laura residual or otherwise, "as a matter of fact, I think my spell went awry."

Despite the situation, Sarah raised an eyebrow, eyeing the boy in front of her.

He was tall about 5'10". Short red hair the color of blood crowned his head. Blue eyes the color of ice surveyed his surroundings. Her eyes trailed downwards, taking in the metal gauntlets on his thick arms with the Chinese blue Dragon etched into them.

She shook her head, her gaze sliding over the broad black chest plate with the golden Chinese Dragon in its center. 'He's definitely not someone of the facility.'

"What do you mean by spell?"

Harry curled his fingers.

Sarah marveled at how smoothly the metal moved.

A glass jewel flew from Laura's hand, hovering in the air between the two teens.

"This is the main part of a tracking spell I used to try and track down a perpetrator of a recent attack on Victoria Montesi."

He shook his head, "I really don't understand why it didn't work, the most important ingredient is a hair from the attacker, but then again they did seem to have some magical protection, so maybe there shielded."

Ignoring Hadrian's mutterings, Sarah turned to Laura, "Did you have a mission to take out Victoria Montesi?"

Laura shook her head, her eyes never leaving Hadrian, her body tense.

Sarah turned back to Hadrian, "There you have it. You've got the wrong girl."

Hadrian inclined his head. "I figured that out about two minutes ago when I realized she had no residual magic clinging to her." His gaze flicked over to Sarah, "I'm just trying to figure out what I should do now."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked her body tense. She may not have been a fighter, this man may have been able to sneak into the facility, and have abilities unknown to her, but she would protect her daughter.

"I've read the minds of the scientists here," his gaze settled on Laura, "I've seen how they treat her. I can't in good conscience leave her here to be tortured," his gaze flicked back to Sarah, "from what I picked up in your mind, you want to get her out of here as well."

"You read my mind?"

Hadrian raised his shoulders, gesturing to Laura, "I had to make sure you wouldn't interfere with me getting her out of here."

Sarah moved behind Laura, setting both her hands on the girl's shoulders. Laura relaxed slightly, lowering her arms just a bit, but still prepared to attack.

She'd wanted to get Laura out of here for a while now, but she had no help. Without help she would most likely die, leaving Laura in the world with little understanding of how normal humans can be. Taking a deep breath, she took a leap of faith, hoping she wasn't making a mistake, but for her daughter she would take the chance. "Where would you take her?"

"My aunt of sorts lives at the Xavier Institute, I would take her there." A smile spread across his face, "I doubt the facility would attack a place with so many powerful mutants."

Sarah nodded, "Alright we'll go with you, but if you betray us, Laura will kill you, and I will find out the secrets of your body."

One corner of Hadrian's mouth curved, highlighting his high cheekbones and square jaw, "Fair enough, but if you wanted to learn my body secrets, you could at least take me out to dinner first."

Sarah shook her head at the teen's antics, "Let's just get out of here."

An invisible force flared out from the redheaded teen, wrapping its way around the two.

Sarah shuddered as she felt a warm sensation like water wash over her, while Laura barely reacted at all.

"What was that?"

Harry shook his head, the grimace on his face smoothing away, "I added you to the cloak that allows me to move around this facility undetected."

Turning towards the door, Laura moved behind her mother, leaving Sarah in the middle of the two teens.

"Well, let's go."

The door hissed open, the group filed out.

The moment X twenty-three crossed the threshold of her room, alarms began to blare.

"What's happening?" Harry yelled over the alarms.

"You're the psychic, shouldn't you know that," Sarah yelled back.

"I didn't absorb everything, just the science of this place, and Laura's treatment."

Sarah shook her head, "They must have implanted a new security measure in Laura," Sarah said, glancing at her daughter.

Laura cocked her head to the side, "They gave me a shot the other day," Laura said in a quiet voice.

"Must be some type of…" Sarah was cut off by the sound of stomping feet. Security personnel and black combat fatigues started pouring down both sides of the hallway.

A light blue aura blossomed out from Hadrian's body, in moments, he seemed to grow larger. He turned, locking glowing blue eyes onto Sarah, "If you and Laura get an opening to escape, go I'll find you."

Harry turned to the right, while Laura moved up beside her mother facing the left.

Slowly, metal claws slid out of Laura's hands, she glanced at her mother, the fight for her freedom was about to begin.


	8. Chapter 8

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 8**

Laura launched herself forward. Blood splattered the metal walls as her claws cut bloody smiles across the soldier's necks. Automatic gunfire rang out, reverberating off the walls making it impossible to hear anything else.

The coppery smell of blood and gunpowder filled the confined space.

Laura jumped around, ricocheting off the walls, easily dodging the bullets. She hacked and slashed, more and more bodies falling to the floor. She desperately wanted to turn to check on her mother, but her training overrode that desire.

Finally the last enemy fell.

Panting she turned, smearing the blood that pooled on the linoleum floor.

Her mother stood where she left her, the bodies of the soldiers laid out before her like a sea of the dead. Bullets floated in the air, surrounded by a blue aura.

Hadrian stood behind her mother, his hand raised, his soldiers frozen, tendrils of blue aura snaking out from his free hand to connect to each soldiers forehead.

Fragmented knowledge flowed into Harry's mind through the connection a jumble of images and distorted voices along with faint echoes of training.

A frown slipped onto his face, there was no emotion in the soldiers. Whatever Ethan McClellan had given these people had turned them into mindless beast that only cared for blood, battle, and death.

With a gesture, dark blue light exploded from the soldier's eyes. They drop to the floor, their eye sockets nothing more than smoking craters.

Turning his attention to the bullets floating in midair they began to spin combining together to form a thin copper circle about the size of a softball. A small circle of lead about the size of a golf ball sat in the center of the copper disc.

The edge of the copper circle glowed as runes were formed into it.

Sarah's eyes widened as the blood covering the floor like a small lake began to flow into the runes turning them a dark red. She glanced at Hadrian, an aura of blue power dancing around him like fire.

'What in the world have I got myself and my daughter involved in,' she shook her head, 'that's not a fair thought. Your daughter was born to be an assassin.'

Within moments, the floor was spotless. The copper disc floated over to Sarah its runes now red. Red runic lines spread out from the edges of the disc, converging in the center of the lead circle.

With his work done, Hadrian allowed his shoulders to relax. Wiping the sweat from his brow he smiled at Sarah gesturing to the copper plate, "Take it."

Hesitantly Sarah reached out a hand, "what is it?"

"Since you're the most vulnerable of the three of us, this medallion will create a barrier around you. It will grow stronger with each person Laura kills, but you will need to move through the facility fast, it's not made of the best material, so it will burn up quickly."

A copper chain grew out of the medallion, causing it to shrink slightly. Now the size of a baseball, Sarah slipped the chain over her head, tucking the medallion into her blood splattered blouse, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry said absently, his eyes distant as his mind scanned the facility for other threats. He was just about to withdraw his power back into himself when he picked up a psychic cry of pain that nearly drove him to his knees, his eyes screwed shut as he felt fire consuming his body.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked seeing the grimace on his face.

Harry opened his eyes, the blue glow within them dimming slightly, "there's someone else here. They're in a lot of pain."

Sarah's brow furrowed in thought, "There was whispers of another subject, but they kept us separated in case one of us was captured we couldn't give away all the facility secrets."

Harry inclined his head, "I'm going to find them."

Sarah wanted to protest, to tell him that they needed to get out of here as soon as possible, but she couldn't he may have come here for other reasons, but he was helping her save her daughter. How could she begrudge him for wanting to save another?

"Fine, we'll continue this way," she pointed down the left hallway. "When you get done with what you're doing, meet us in the parking lot."

Nodding, Harry spun on his heel, following the psychic cry of pain.

– **XX –**

Harry blurred down the hallway, leaving echoing footsteps in his wake. His mind buzzed with what he'd seen while manipulating the bullets into protection for Sarah.

The book on rituals of creation as well as Arataz book of alchemy he had found in the house of secrets gave him a large amount of information on Transfiguration as well as runes, but like with any subject there was always more to learn. However while he was manipulating the bullets into something that could protect Sarah he saw a glimpse of something, somehow magic and psionics were connected.

He didn't know how, but he felt in his bones once he figured out the mystery, it would change the way he used and viewed his powers forever.

A clunk drew him out of his thoughts, looking down, his eyes widened at the sight of a grenade just barely a foot from him. Spinning on his heel, he pushed his Psionic magic forward, solidifying it into a barrier just as the grenade exploded.

– **XX –**

Laura ran down the hallway, her leathers covered in blood. Sweat sticking her hair to her face, her breath came out in gasps. She may have had a healing factor, but this was the most she'd done at one time.

Over a hundred soldiers had fallen to her claws along with many more scientists under her mother's direction. According to her mother, they had to take out the scientists to make sure the project ended here.

She glanced back at her mother. A blood red field clung to her like a second skin, stopping bullets and blows that would've caved in her skull.

Sarah locked eyes with her daughter, a gentle smile coming onto her face. Hopefully, this would be the last time her daughter had to do something like this. A black blur caught her attention, her eyes widened, "Laura look out!"

Laura spun on her heel, bringing around the claws on her left arm, the two metal prongs sliced through Kevlar and flesh like they were butter. The soldier didn't seem to notice, she thrust her fist forward.

Laura crossed her arms, the bones of her forearm breaking under the impact as she was sent flying backwards.

Back flipping in midair, she landed on her feet in a crouch, her forearms already knitting themselves back together.

She cocked her head to the side; this was the first opponent she had that actually seemed to fight with some semblance of control, her eyes flicked to the wound on the soldier stomach, watching it slowly pull itself back together.

A smile split her face, showing short but pronounced canines, this could be fun.

– **XX –**

Harry looked through his hastily created barrier, pale smoke drifted on the air. Black marks covered the floor in front of him from where the force of the blast had pushed him backwards.

The metal walls on the other side of his shield were dented, bits of shrapnel embedded in them. The casing of the florescent light hung down in the middle of the hallway, the florescent tube inside flickering.

Reaching out with his mind, Harry wrapped his power around the wire still feeding electricity to the bulb. Shadows moved in his periphery, causing him to add more power to his shield. It solidified, becoming a solid wall of energy that cut the hallway in half.

The bracket holding the florescent light fell to the floor, the tube shaped bulb within shattering on impact.

Holding the wire with his power, Harry began peeling back the covering, revealing the individual strands. Electricity arced between the wires, bright and blue in the semidarkness left by the missing light.

Something impacted the barrier at high speed, causing him to look up. Bullets were frozen in the barrier like a bug trapped in amber.

He shook his head, "A grenade didn't work. Did they really think bullets would?"

Focusing his will on the bullets, Harry removed the casing from around the lead projectile, pulling them through the barrier. Once on the other side of the barrier, they merged together, thinning and elongating until they became three thin wires of brass.

Slowly, he moved his bronze wires towards the power cable. Blue bolts arced between the metal as he used his powers to merge the two together. Almost instantly, the bronze wire began to glow with heat.

Knowing he had to hurry, Harry focused outside the barrier. Two shadows moved beyond the glowing wall of blue energy.

With the force of will, the cable shot forward, the brass ends stabbing into the soldiers Kevlar vest. His body locked up, shaking under the force of the electricity passing through him.

Lights down the length of the hallway began to flicker.

The second shadow moved forward, either ignoring or totally oblivious to his partner's distress.

With a flick of his hand, Harry sent the lead still trapped in his shield flying outward,

The first piece of lead cracked the faceplate of the helmet, the other three blasted through the material, turning the man's face into a bloody mess, but stopping at the back of the helmet, creating dents in the material.

Releasing a breath, Harry allowed the shield to fall. He looked at the two men before him, did they know what they were getting into when they join this facility? Was it worth their lives? He shook his head, in the end it didn't matter. If they were here, they were complicit in Laura's abuse.

He grimaced at the smell of cooked meat that wafted off the man he electrocuted. It may have been a little messier than bullets to the head, but elemental magic was something he was definitely going to look into for its offensive and defensive purposes.

He glanced at the man who was now leaking blood all over the floor from his head. Shaking his head, he took in both, "May you both find redemption in whatever comes next."

Stepping over the bodies, Harry continued on his way, quickening his pace once he sensed the presence in pain weakening.

– **XX –**

Laura blocked a backhand with her claws slicing off the woman's hand at her forearm. Blood spurted from the stump, coating Laura. Ignoring it, Laura brought her foot up, slamming her knee into the woman's stomach.

The woman staggered backwards.

Capitalizing on her being off balance, Laura drove her right arm forward, her two claws punching into the woman's eye sockets and directly into her brain.

She twitched for a minute then Laura retracted her claws, unintentionally pulling the woman's eyes with them.

The woman fell to the floor with a resounding thump.

Laura moved forward, only to pause at the sound of hurried footsteps.

Zander Rice rounded the corner, his chest heaving, sweat glistening on his skin, his brown eyes moving from side to side in a panic.

Zander's eyes locked onto her. With shaky hands, he pulled out a blocky pistol, aiming it at Laura, "Stay back you freak."

Ignoring him Laura continued to move forward, her claws slowly emerging from her knuckles. With a yell like an enraged animal, she leapt into the air. A shot went off as she landed, her clause stabbing into Zander's chest.

The bullet missed her and she continued stabbing into Zander's body, fresh blood covering her from head to toe.

After what seemed like an eternity, Laura stopped stabbing him. She stared down at the mutilated face of her tormentor, a familiar scent wafting into her nose. Her eyes widened as her vision began to bleed red.

Slowly she turned around, her gaze locking onto her mother, more specifically the green stain sizzling on her barrier. With a growl, she stalked forward, the sane part of her mind pulling against her inner beast that was now free.

In a last act of malice, Zander Rice had released the trigger scent, releasing the monster within. A monster that would kill anything covered in that scent.

– **XX –**

Stopping before a large metal door that took up the entire width of the hallway, Harry cocked his head to the side. "Well, they certainly don't want anyone getting in here."

He glanced down at the keypad. Mounted into the wall next to the door, "I definitely need to look in to manipulating the elements. Lightning could short-circuit the keypad. Fire if hot enough might be able to burn through the door," he shook his head, "either way none of that could help me right now."

With a flick of his hand, the facing of the keypad flew off, revealing the nest of wires hidden beneath. He eyed the colorful strands, curling amidst each other like vines in a forest.

Having absolutely no idea what to do now, he grabbed a fistful of the wires and pulled. Sparks shot from the hole as wire snapped. He tensed. In his mind there was one of two things that would happen now, number one the door would open, or number two a failsafe would activate wiping the evidence from the room.

He released a breath, tension draining from his shoulders as the door slowly began to open.

Recessed lights in the ceiling clicked on, showing him the large room beyond.

White egg shaped tanks with glass fronts line the walls, Laura at different ages floated within.

Numbly he walked into the room. What in the world was he supposed to do now, he couldn't save all of them, but he couldn't leave them here to be tortured like their big sister. He shook his head, he needed time, he would think on that after he found the one crying out in pain.

Moving through the rows of tanks, he came to a cleared away space that formed a circle. A single tank sat in the middle of the circle.

The thing with in didn't look human. Blackened skin clung to its skeletal frame. Bubbles floated around it from whatever liquid was inside the tank.

Another mental cry pulsed out from the figure. This close, it almost drove Harry to his knees.

"She's not even conscious," he murmured, "but she's still calling out to me." Part of him wondered how he knew the thing within was female, but on some level he could tell the thought patterns were different than his own, similar to Sarah's or even Laura's.

Walking forward, Harry laid his hand on the red quartz glass, wondering why this tank had different glass than the others. Stopping before the tank, he stared at the twisted form within. "I guess I'm adding healing magic to the things I need to learn."

Reaching out with his mind, he connected to the person inside, instantly finding himself somewhere else, never noticing the pale red eyes snap open from within the tank.

– **XX –**

He found himself standing in a large courtyard. A brick manor set in the center, sunlight reflecting off the windows lining its three stories. He slowly turned in a circle, cool air filled his lungs. It felt different than what he was used to, cleaner, each breath filling him with strength.

Catching something out of the corner of his eye, he turned his eyes widened at the sight before him. The coast stretched out in front of him, large 18th-century ships glided across the crystal clear water, their white sails stretched taut in the wind.

The sound of engines drew his gaze upwards.

World War II style planes flew through the air, their propellers nothing more than a blur.

"Sailing ships and planes that are almost a hundred years old, just where the heck am I?"

"Do you think we're ready John?" A female voice asked bringing Harry out of his reverie.

A teenage girl with auburn hair walks beside a boy that looks almost exactly like Harry. A red visor covering her eyes, a yellow and black leather jumpsuit clung to her body, accentuating her developing curves.

Harry's eyes stayed locked on the boy. "Dad," he whispered.

John Grey ran a hand through his red hair, his emerald eyes staring off into the distance but not seeing anything, "I don't know, Summer. With the sanctions Atlantis put on the world, it's really anyone's game."

Information flowed into Harry's mind, the woman before him was Summer Scott. She was part of her world's X-Men. Right now they were in the middle of a war with the French.

America had never been formed. Instead where America sat was a new colony for Britain. The British government hoped that the mutant's born in their new colony would be the deciding factor of this war.

Atlantis this world's strongest power placed sanctions on the surface world. It was illegal to develop any ship past the point of wood and sales. In exchange for following this rule, Atlantis would provide power for the surface world. Failure to do so would result in anyone breaking their mandates losing power.

Shaking his head, Harry focused back on the woman.

He could feel Summer's nerves. He could also understand them, training was one thing, but actually putting that training to use in battle was another. Anything could happen in battle, things moved so fast, you could only rely on your training, hoping it was enough to keep you alive.

Summer glanced at John, a yellow gloved hands sliding into his, "Whatever happens we'll be together right? We'll watch each other's backs?"

A smile curled John's lips, he squeezed her hand, "Of course, we're X-Men that's what we do."

Suddenly, John's smile vanished, his head snapped around, staring directly at Harry, "Summer get ready, something's coming!"

Harry spun around just as a violet tear formed in the air.

Wind blew out of it and pink electricity crackled around its edges. A Golden helm floated in its center, white eyes staring at the two teens.

"This is not my world," said a double layered voice, "but you two could prove useful in accomplishing my goals."

Golden tendrils of power snaked out of the tear flying towards the teens.

Blue energy flared around them, solidifying into a sphere.

A touch from the tendril shattered the barrier. Before either of the teens could move, a tendril snaked around them, yanking them towards the tear.

John lashed out with a telekinetic blast, his eyes glowing like to emerald suns.

The blast exploded on the helm, pushing it back slightly, but still the tendrils held tight, pulling them closer towards the portal. The white eyes focused on John, "It appears you're going to be a handful, but you're too powerful to discard."

A white aura blossomed around John, and he seemed to grow younger, "Maybe being a bit younger will make you more malleable."

"John," Summer called out, a red beam of energy flying from her visor, severing the tendril, causing John to fall into the sea of purple energy.

The void shook white tears appearing in it. John fell into a tear, while a rainbow of energy blasted from another, bathing Summer.

Summer screamed as her hair was burned away, and her skin began to blacken.

The golden helm turned towards the white tears, "It appears we no longer have to float in this void," he glanced at Summer, "It's a shame we lost your friend, but even in your condition you may prove useful."

The world began to fade, darkness closing in around her.

Staring at the mutilated form of Summer Scott, Harry released his hold on the memory.

– **XX –**

Harry opened his eyes, staring at the woman in the tank, "You knew my father," he whispered.

The woman within smiled, her lips cracking open, sending fresh blood running down her chin. She didn't seem to notice, "John lived that's good to know."

Shaking his head, Harry used his powers to suppress her pain, "I so badly want to ask you about my father, but first I need to know, who was the man who took you from your world?"

The woman released a sigh, "Thank you," she shook her head, "I don't know much, but I can tell you he called himself Strange Fate, Doctor Strange Fate."

"Now tell me…" a shot rang out a bullet piercing the crystal of the tank, Summer's body slumped forward, a hole visible in her forehead.

"No," Harry screamed, wisps of blue energy rising around him.

He spun

Kimura lowered her gun, the barrel still smoking, a mocking smile spread across her face, "Oh, I'm sorry did I interrupt something important."

Harry lifted into the air, the wisps of energy solidifying into a solid aura. This woman had taken away one of the few links he had to his father, someone who could tell him things about his father not even his aunt Jean would know.

"Kimura," he roared thrusting his hands outwards. An invisible force rippled out from his palms, causing everything within a hundred feet to buckle or explode.


	9. Chapter 9

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 9**

Kimura slid across the floor, jagged pieces of tile buckling up as she passed, tearing into the back of her leather suit, causing her to leave a trail of blood in her wake. She slammed into the hallway wall hard enough to dent the metal.

Pushing away the searing pain in her back, she raised her head, using a gloved hand to push dark hair out of her face.

She stared at the young man before her, rippling waves of dark blue energy writhing off him. As she watched the energy coalesced into something between modern body armor and samurai armor.

The plated armor hugged his body like a second skin.

Glowing blue eyes the color of ice locked on to her, bringing with them a force that nearly pushed her through the wall. A smile reached her lightly tanned skin, her bright red lips curling upwards in a smile full of teeth.

Slowly she pushed herself off the ground, ignoring the broken tiles that dug into her hands, "So, you do have some bite in you." Reaching down to a holster on her leg, she removed the dagger she took from his unconscious form, "Show mama what you got."

Crouching low she shot forward, her feet gliding across the floor as she used her intangible abilities to walk on air.

Harry launched himself forward, Psionic magic coursing through his body, making his thoughts faster his senses sharper, and his movements barely more than a blur.

Kimura slashed the dagger with her right hand while attempting to grab Harry with her left.

Knocking away her left hand, Harry focused his will on the dagger. Just as it was about to cross his armor, the dagger crumbled into dust.

Quick as lightning, Harry through his right fist up, slamming it into Kimura's chin while she was off balance from losing the dagger.

The woman flew into the air, blood flying from her mouth, her back arching as she back flipped and landed like a cat a few feet away.

She grinned, showing off teeth that were stained red. Wiping away the blood dribbling down her chin, she pushed off the ground, landing lightly on her feet.

"I thought it would be fun to kill you with your own dagger, but I would prefer to do it this way." Her hand shot down, removing the Glock from its holster on her hip.

Three shots rang out, but Harry was already moving, leaving a hazy blue afterimage in his wake. He appeared before Kimura in a crouch, throwing his fist at her midsection only for his hand to go through her.

As Harry leaned too far forward off balance, Kimura brought up her knee.

Harry's left hand intercepted her knee, stopping some of its momentum, but causing the back of his hand to slap into his face. Dazed he pushed off Kimura's knee, using it as a springboard.

Sliding back on his heels, he climbed to his feet his chest heaving slightly.

He had picked up quite a bit from the fractured minds of the soldiers, adding to the combat training the ancient one had given him, but he had underestimated Kimura's abilities. Her density control made her a tough opponent. If he wanted to beat her he would have to think outside the box.

He stretched his hand forward; his energy seemed to flow easier as it coalesced into a sword with a cross -shaped hilt.

Sliding one foot forward, he pointed the tip of the blade at Kimura's face.

With a smile Kimura raised her gun.

With a flick of his wrist, everything after the trigger guard fell to the floor.

Throwing the gun aside, Kimura threw a kick at his head.

Harry raised his left arm, dark blue energy coalescing into a two foot wide two foot long octagon shaped shield.

Harry's arm jerked slightly on impact, but otherwise he was unharmed.

Kimura lowered her foot, her head cocking to one side, "What is that energy?"

Saying nothing, Harry danced forward. Keeping his shield raised, he stabbed his blade at her gut.

Kimura tensed, her midsection instantly going intangible. Her eyes widened as she felt the blade pierce her body, a scream tearing from her throat.

– **XX –**

Sarah watched as Laura stalked forward, her teeth grinding together, drool running down her chin as she growled. "Laura, listen to me, it's me Sarah," she hesitated, "your mother."

Laura's legs tensed. With a roar, she launched herself into the air, the two claws protruding out of each hand flashing in the florescent lights above her.

On instinct, Sarah raised her arms shielding her face. She staggered backwards under the impact of Laura's weight, a bright flash of crimson energy piercing her eyelids.

With a growl, Laura struck again, another crimson flash lighting up the hallway as her claws were again reflected off Sarah's barrier.

Sarah lashed out with the palm, striking Laura in the chest. The barrier added extra force behind the blow, sending Laura tumbling two feet down the hallway.

Completing the last role of her tumble, Laura sprang to her feet.

Sarah backed away she knew she wouldn't be able to beat Laura in combat. She didn't think she could hurt her daughter anyway. Especially after what her home life was like. It would be too close to what her father did to her and her sister.

The medallion warmed beneath her blouse. Keeping her gaze locked on her daughter, Sarah pressed a hand to the medallion, eyes widening as she felt it shrink beneath her hand.

Laura ran forward. Spinning on her left foot, she brought her right up in a roundhouse kick, a claw emerging from her boot.

Again the barrier flashed as the majority of Laura's attack was rebounded, but this time, Sarah felt the tip of the claw pierced the barrier putting a minuscule cut in her lab coat.

Not knowing what else to do, and with her only protection fading, Sarah turned sprinting back the way she came, her lab coat flying out behind her like a cape.

– **XX –**

Kimura looked at him, blood dribbling from the corners of her mouth, "How?"

Harry shook his head, "That's not important. What is important is that an unfeeling monster like you can no longer hurt the innocent of the world." With a yank, he pulled his sword free, the blade and hilt shrinking until it became the size of a dagger.

Kimura fell to her knees, her hands clamped over her stomach. This was it; she was going to die, after all the pain and injustice she suffered in her life. Here was this man looking down on her for the hurt she caused others, the retribution she caused others for ignoring her pain.

Gritting her teeth, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. She didn't know how the strange sword pierced her intangible flesh, but she would not die on her knees.

His glowing ice blue eyes looked into her dark brown, he inclined his head, "I respect your strength of will, you could have been a better force for the world, protected others, stopped them from going through what you went through, but instead you decided to cause pain. To continue the cycle you experienced."

He raised the dagger, "Know that your knowledge and skill will not go to waste."

Kimura tensed her legs preparing to jump backwards, only to find herself unable to move.

Harry slowly shook his head, "The people that altered you really should've worked on your mental defenses."

The last thing Kimura saw was the light of the blue dagger filling her vision before its blade pierced her forehead then her world went black.

Harry stood there, his Psionic dagger buried in Kimura's mind. Her training, knowledge of the facilities projects, weapons, security codes, and mountains of other things filled his mind. When he felt he got everything he could, he twisted the blade, blue energy exploding from her eye sockets, turning them into charcoaled pits.

Allowing the body to crumple to the floor, he stared at the woman. Through this experience he learned more about himself, he wasn't a killer, he was the creator, he wanted to experiment with his power, to make things.

Despite that however, he would find the person responsible for his mother's death, he would make them pay, he would protect those he cared about, and the innocent. It would eat away at him otherwise, to do nothing while others were hurt and he had the power to stop it.

"May you find peace in whatever comes next."

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind him.

Harry turned wisps of blue energy swirling around him.

Sarah sprinted around the corner, Laura hot on her heels, her eyes red.

Laura drew back her arm to swipe at her mother.

Harry raised his hand, a light blue aura snapping around Laura's body, but not before the claws slashed across the barrier.

In that moment, the barrier failed, the claws slicing through Sarah's clothes like they weren't there. Blood danced on the air. A crimson wave exploded from Sarah blasting everyone backwards.

Harry slammed into a wall, his head bouncing off the steel.

Laura's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she lay there staring up at the flickering florescent lights, her mind hazy. Then, it began to come back to her, Zander Rice shooting her mother with the trigger scent, her chasing her mother, the slash at her back, the blood on the air.

She sat up looking slowly around her, her eyes landed on a large ebony egg with glowing red runes around its top and base. Pushing herself to her feet, she made her way over to the egg; her eyes widening at what she saw when she was close enough.

In the center of the egg was a detailed carving of her mother's face. Angular runes pulsing with the same red light framed her face in a circle.

She reared her arm back, her instincts telling her to drive her claws through the egg and cut her mother out. She drove her fist forward, her claws stopping just an inch from the egg surface, slowly withdrawing back into her arm.

What if she was wrong? What if by cutting her mother out she hurt her? She shook her head, she didn't understand enough about magic. She glanced around her. In her hazy memories she could swear Harry was nearby.

Her gaze locked onto him lying against the far wall, the gauntlets and chest plate he wore cracked.

She moved over to him, but he didn't move. Not knowing what else to do, she reared back her hand and slapped him across the face.

With a groan, Harry's eyes fluttered open. The moment Laura came into focus, a blue outline surrounded his body, causing his head to pound. _'Okay, note to self, using powers after hitting my head hurts.'_

Reaching out with his mind, he found the animalistic rage that was in Laura gone. His shoulders relaxed, the aura around him fading. "Laura, are you alright?"

Laura didn't answer just pointed to something across the room.

Following her gaze, Harry found a large egg with crimson runes ringing its top and bottom. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, pain flaring in his head and back, causing his world to spin. "Yep, I definitely need to study healing."

Stopping before the egg, Harry stretched out his senses. "Well, your mother's definitely alive, the wound you inflicted on her back created a stronger circuit than I did when I used a hair to bind the medallion to her. From what I'm sensing, she's going through some kind of metamorphosis. The life energy the medallion gathered from the people you killed is being used to change her."

"How is that possible?" Laura asked in a soft voice.

"Some runes have a double meaning, the runes I used on the medallion also mean growth and change. By using a hair to bind the medallion to her, I didn't create a strong enough connection for the energy to change her," he shook his head, "I honestly thought we would have been out of here by now. When you cut her back, her blood mixing with the energy created a strong enough connection for the transformation process to begin."

"Can you get her out?"

"I probably could, but without knowing what condition her body is in, it could be deadly. My suggestion is that we wait until the metamorphosis finishes and deal with whatever comes out."

Laura nodded, glancing around her, trying to ignore the fear wrapping its way around her heart. She can't lose her mother, the only one that has ever truly been nice to her. "We can't stay here, we don't know if reinforcements are coming from the other facilities, or if there's anyone left here."

"Agreed," stretching out his will Harry wrapped his power around Summer Scott's tank. With a sharp pull, and the sound of tearing metal, he brought it to hover beside Sarah's cocoon.

Laura cocked her head to the side, "What's the dead body for?"

"To solve a mystery," stretching forth his left hand a circular portal burst into existence, its edge is glowing with dark blue flames. The portal was segmented by a line of fire going horizontally down its center. One half showed his adequate workspace, the other his living room.

For a moment, he marveled at how much his powers had grown since coming here. He shook his head, "Come on."

Laura tensed her claws emerging from her clenched hands, "Where are you taking us?"

"My home, I have things there that should be able to help your mother."

Laura nodded. Keeping her claws out, she followed him into the portal, the egg cocoon, and the tank holding the dead body floating in before them.

– **XX –**

Laura stepped out of the portal onto a crimson rug. Golden designs decorated it, but the full picture was hidden by an iron coffee table. Her gaze swept over the dark leather furniture and the teardrop chandelier dangling from the ceiling, its light reflected in the glass top of the coffee table.

Harry emerged from the portal, the circular ring of fire sizzling shut behind him.

"Where's Sarah?"

"She's in my lab, I'm going to take a shower and then I'll start researching on what's happening to her and how to help."

His eyes flashed, information filled Laura's brain. She now knew where a guest room in his house was as well as the bathroom and kitchen.

Turning, Harry made his way out of the room.

Minutes later, Laura heard his footsteps echoing off the stairs, she now knew led to the upper floors. Moving over to the couch, she sat down and crossed one leg over the other.

She would give him an hour or two then she was going to find his lab and find out what was happening with her mother.

– **XX –**

Fifteen minutes later, Harry strode into his lab in the attic, his hair wet, turning it an even darker shade of red. A T-shirt and grey sweatpants covered his frame.

He stopped just beyond the threshold, his eyes scanning the room. The tank holding summer Scott and the egg holding Sarah Kinney sat in the center of the room between the two work tables, but something changed.

The room had grown larger by at least two hundred feet in height and width. New bookshelves had been added. The shelves now curved the right-hand wall. The window in the center of the far wall being used as a divider between the books and the ingredients shelves on the other side of the room.

Moving forward slowly, he spotted a piece of paper on the closest table. With a tiny bit of will, it floated in the air before him.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _If you are reading this it means you pass the test I set in place. The house of secrets of earth three is not only a magical residence. It is a repository of all the knowledge of its previous users. Some speculate it even transcends reality, but I could never prove it._

 _Either way, I'm getting off track. You must have done something kind and heroic. Know for this I am proud of you._

 _Use this new knowledge well my son and help wash away the sins of my past._

 _Love your mother, Annataz Arataz/Lily Grey._

Folding the letter, Harry wiped his eye, a soft smile on his face. Even in death, his mother was testing him making him stronger. Tucking the letter into the pocket of his sweatpants he meandered over to the books lining the walls, pausing as he saw the silver aura radiating off every tome.

His mother had told him about this during his training as a youngster. Some books took a portion of will from those who read them so it could easily pass on the knowledge to the next reader.

That would definitely make things easier. He would no longer have to use his telepathy to ingrain the knowledge into his mind as he learned it. Books that used mind magic taught the reader faster, which is exactly what he needed right now.

He perused the shelves, grabbing any book that would help him fix the weaknesses he'd been shown in his previous battles, surprised by the authors of some of the text.

 _Mysteries and majesties of Medicine by Asclepius, Manipulation of earth, fire, and ways of the forge by Hephaestus, Strengths of water, thunder, and the usefulness of sea life by Triton, and The deadly dangers of air by Boreas._

Harry moved away from the shelf, his four books floating behind him. He wondered if the books were actually written by the gods, or if they were written by people who had taken the names. In the end it didn't matter as long as the books had what he needed. He just hoped they weren't junk.

Stopping three feet away from the tank and egg in the center of the room, he sat cross-legged on the floor. The books floated around him in a semicircle. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.

He felt the magic of the books flare, he sensed tendrils of power slithering from each book. He marveled at how much his telepathic abilities had grown since he left the house, then the tendrils connected with his head and his consciousness became lost in the sea of new knowledge flooding his mind.


	10. Chapter 10

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 10**

Laura leaned against the wall of the attic her gaze locked on Hadrian. He floated in the air, rings of the elements intersecting around him. Impossibly, a ring of fire and circled his body passing just over his head, intersecting with a ring of water that curved at an angle around his back, but there was no steam, or even bubbling from the water. The two elements danced in harmony.

She flexed her right hand. Five days ago she entered the attic to ask Hadrian what he found out about her mother. She found him surrounded by a semicircle of books, silver threads flowed from the books to form a triangle as they connected with his forehead.

She tried to touch him, to shake him out of whatever trance he was in, but the silver aura flared, burning her hand to the bone and blowing her backwards, so here she sat watching over a corpse, her mother's transforming body, and the man that saved them.

Dust swirled up from the floor, transforming into soil, before weaving itself into the intersecting rings, just under water. The window burst open, a miniature tornado swept into the room, snaking its way into the ring, completing a sphere around him.

Laura tensed as the sky outside darkened. Thunder shook the house. White flashes spotted the clouds, a bolt of lightning arced downwards, but instead of heading towards the ground it snaked into the window, wrapping itself around the other elements, intertwining with them like pieces of metal holding a cage together.

One by one, the books began to close and flow back to the shelf. When the last book settled back onto the shelf, Harry began to spin his eyes blazing a bright blue.

Laura hunched in a corner, she may not have a lot of metal in her body, but she had enough to put her at a greater risk than anyone else. The last thing she wanted is to be struck by lightning in a virtual stranger's home. She had to stay conscious to protect her mother. Right now, that was all that mattered, protecting her mother.

Her gaze flicked to Hadrian's glowing blue eyes, shining like miniature suns. _'What in the world is happening to him_?' Her claws slowly emerged from her knuckles. _'And are we going to be safe whenever whatever is happening is finished?'_

– **XX –**

Harry floated above his maze in the inner workings of his mind. His inner world had changed as he began mastering the elements, taught to him by elemental spirits of all things, spirits that were made up of the five elements.

Fire, the element of warmth, creation, and destruction for those who were not careful created a sun, giving light to the darkness beyond his maze. As he mastered earth, the element of the unyielding nurturer of life, land appeared.

Water, the element of life, the unwilling force that can wear away anything with time, was next, bringing forth rivers, grass, and trees. After the plant life, animals appeared. First, there were small birds, and then there were wolves, followed by bears.

Air, the element of freedom provided life for the animals, changing the sky from pitch black to pale blue, hiding his most precious memories from view.

The final element was lightning. The element was a combination of air and fire, an element of unstoppable destruction. With its mastery, robotic creatures of gears and metal rose from the earth and stomped their way into his maze, making it even more dangerous.

These changes fascinated Harry, but even more fascinating was what was happening to the stream of magic and Psionic energy above the atmosphere of his new world.

With a thought, he zoomed upwards, finding the two rivers almost completely joined except for a small red spec in the center. As he mastered the magical parts of the elements, the Psionic manipulations became open to him.

He now understood Pyrokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Geokinesis, Electrokinesis, and Aerogenesis. This seemed to open a new pathway within his brain. He now understood how to manipulate matter thanks to is alchemy training and understanding of transmutation. Other correlations between his magical abilities and psionics were being made, but to him the manipulation of the world around him was the most prevalent.

With all this new information, he was interested to see what would happen when the two streams finally merged fully.

He felt the books break the connection and float back to the shelves. He released a breath, the manipulation of the elements was some of the most in-depth he had ever learned. Not because it was complicated, but because each element had its own personality, and you had to know that personality to manipulate it.

The medical knowledge from the book of Asclepius was easy to learn, along with the control of sea life from the book of Triton, but some of the knowledge of the forge was blocked from him.

The knowledge was there, he knew how to make things, he could now forge more complicated and greater things with his mind, but manipulating already made technology was eluding him.

He wouldn't know how this translated to the outside world until he left his mindscape.

He glanced above him, it was time for him to leave, his work here was done for now. Closing his eyes, he released his hold on his inner world feeling his body fade away as he returned to consciousness.

– **XX –**

Harry uncrossed his legs, almost falling from the lack of feeling in the appendages. Steadying himself on a nearby table, he waited for the feeling to come back into his legs, wincing at the pins and needles.

"I take it you're okay now?"

Using the table for support, Harry turned, Laura stood at the far end of the room, her back facing of far corner, her claws glinting in the early morning light coming through the rooms arched window.

"Yeah," a sheepish smile spread across his face, "there was more knowledge in those books than I anticipated the medical stuff as well as the manipulation of sea life was absorbed easily, but the manipulation of the elements was a lot more intricate than I thought."

A frown slipped onto his features, he cocked his head to one side. He could feel the electricity running through power lines. A car drove by outside, he could feel the current coming from the battery and powering it. He reached out to the car, trying to use his control over the current as well as fire to stop fuel in the engine from combusting, but his manipulation was blocked. He could sense the mechanics working, but he could not manipulate them.

Theoretically, he should be able to manipulate technology with the forging art, but part of it was blocked from him. He could pull the electricity to him from a machine to manipulate it, but manipulating the electricity inside a machine was beyond him, the ability was there, he could sense the pathway in his mind, but it was blocked.

"Can you help Sarah now?"

"Sure," he said slowly, pushing the problem of manipulating technology out of his mind. He moved towards the center of the room, a grimace sliding across his face as he caught sight of Summer Scott's charred body, the bullet hole standing out starkly in the center of her forehead.

Stopping before Sarah Kinney's egg, Harry stretched forth his hands. White energy exploded from his hands sinking into the egg. After it sank into the egg it caressed Sarah before sinking into her skin, passed the layer of fatty tissue to muscle, nerves, blood vessels, then bone and bone marrow.

In the blink of an eye he had a complete scan of Sarah's body, "Whatever was happening to your mother is complete," he informed Laura, a faraway look in his eyes, "all that's left to do now is wait for her to wake up."

"So you can't tell me anything," Laura demanded. She had been waiting for almost six days, watching as he floated in the air the very elements curling around his body.

"Your mother's bones are denser, but also lighter, from what I understand they are made of small carbon fiber tubes packed together to form a honeycomb inside the bone. This will create very tough bones while allowing her to keep her speed."

"Her cells are healthier, dividing completely into a perfect copy of one another, suspending her aging. Her tissues are made of a similar material to her bones. The closest thing I can equate it to is carbon fiber sheets layered together to form a greater whole. Her new tissue will be resistant to injury able to give without tearing, her new muscles will be able to exert a greater force, but we won't know how much greater until she wakes."

"All in all, I would say she is going to be faster, stronger, and age slower once she leaves that egg."

"So, she's a mutant now?"

Harry shook his head from side to side, "No, she wasn't born with her abilities. She was changed by magic, so she would be what you call a mutate. Someone who was changed by an outside force, the end result is the same, you have someone with powers."

"Will she be the same person?"

Harry reached out with his mind, brushing a mental probe against Sarah's. "There's been no significant change to her thought patterns, but her mind is still in flux, so to get a true answer will have to wait till she's out of the egg."

"When will that be?"

The egg began to steam evaporating into thin air.

"Apparently right now."

As they watched, a nude Sarah Kinney gently floated to the floor.

Despite himself, Harry's eyes scanned her body. She was leaner now; lean muscle was packed onto her frame. Her breasts were bigger, and her hair had grown at least a foot, strands of it flowing over her shoulders to cover her nipples.

Her legs were longer, giving her more height, she now topped out at almost six foot.

With a wave of his hand, her former clothes adjusted to her new size appeared on her body, the green blouse stretched taut because of her larger bust. The khakis hugged her legs, revealing new curves.

The white lab coat had one button fastened over her naval, giving her a sensual but professional look. Her ocean of dark hair was now fastened into a tight bun at the back of her head, two strands framing her face.

Another wave of his hand, and Sarah vanished.

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but Harry cut her off, filling her mind with new information, "She's in one of the guestrooms."

– **XX –**

Sarah Kinney's eyes fluttered open, the blurry world coming into focus. She found herself staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling. A fan hung above her, its glass fixture molded to look like a single blooming flower with light bulbs acting as the petals.

Shifting her attention to the bed beneath her, she pressed down. The soft mattress gave under her touch, smooth sheets caressing her skin.

Alright, so she was in a bedroom.

Her hands roamed her body, tension draining her as she found herself fully clothed.

Her eyes widened as she found her bigger breasts. She sat up, her gaze locking onto the full-length mirror in the top right corner of the room. Swinging her legs over the bed, she rose to her feet, swaying slightly at the difference in height.

She grabbed one of the beds four posts to steady her. "What in the world happened to me?"

With halting steps, she made her way over to the mirror, eyes widening once she saw her reflection. It was still her, her face held the same shape, highlighted by a youthfulness that hadn't been there before. Her age hadn't changed, but her skin seemed to glow with vitality.

Despite the lab coat covering her frame, she could see the defined muscle of her body.

The door opened, Sarah twisted, her body swaying.

Laura cautiously entered the room, standing just inside the doorway.

It was then it all came back to her, the facility, Hadrian's rescue, the death of soldiers. Zander Rice his last act of shooting her with the trigger scent.

Her eyes became unfocused as the run down the hallway filled her mind; she remembered her heart hammering in her chest. The feeling of Laura's claws slashing at her back, an explosion of red.

"Laura," she breathed.

Laura looked up at her hands clasped in front of her, uncertainty shining in her eyes.

Slowly Sarah walked forward. Stopping before Laura, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, causing her to tense under her touch. She pulled her into an embrace, burying her face in her hair, "I'm so glad you're safe," she whispered.

Laura looked up at her confusion shining in her eyes, "But I hurt you."

Sarah ran her hands through her daughter's dark hair, "That wasn't your fault. It was the trigger scent," she shook her head; "we'll work on getting you immune to it."

Cautiously, Laura wrapped her arms around her mother, tightening her grip.

Sarah's eyes widened, Laura had never instigated a hug before, granted she had never been able to give her daughter proper affection for fear of being caught, but this was still an amazing milestone.

For a moment they stood there, reveling in the success of their escape from the facility.

Laura eventually released her embrace, stepping back, but staying within Sarah's range of reach.

"Can you tell me what happened after the flash of red light?"

– **XX –**

With Sarah taken care of, Harry stared at the tank holding Summer Scott. With a wave of his hand the tank transformed into a metal table. The understanding of earth allowed him greater control over other elements born of the material such as metal, silicate, glass, coal, gold, iron, or any other type of material born of earth. This understanding allows him to change it with just an image in his mind of what he wanted.

He could've performed the task before, but that would've required using more energy to make up for the things he didn't understand. Shaking his head, he focused on the body.

She barely looked human, more burned skeleton then living being, or former living being, his hand curled into a fist as he remembered the bullet impacting her forehead. "I'm sorry that happened to you, I will do my best to protect others for your sake. I will do my best to live up to my father's legacy."

Slowly raising his hands, runes formed into the edges of the metal table around the body. Curling things that looked more like fire then magic writing. Placing a finger to the runes, he forced in a trickle of power.

With a flash of light a thin pale wisp of rainbow colored energy rose off the body. Raising his left hand, he caught a vial slipping it in front of the energy. Holding the glass up to the light, he stared at the twisting energy within.

If the runes worked the way they were supposed to, this was the dimensional energy that resided inside of summer Scott.

According to his mother, everyone had a unique frequency their body radiated at depending on the dimension or reality they were born in. Hopefully with this energy, he would be able to make something that could find other refugees, or dimensional immigrants.

"That was impressive."

Harry turned, slipping the vial into his pocket while infusing it with magic to make sure that it wouldn't break.

Sarah strode into the room Laura by her side.

Harry waved his hand dismissively, "Minor magic. How are you feeling?"

"Great," Sarah flexed a slender hand, "Laura tells me my bones and muscle tissues have changed to become a stronger material, as well as my cells dividing to create perfect copies, giving me a longer lifespan."

"According to my scans that is correct."

Sarah glanced out the window, "I'll look into that more later," her gaze locked with his, "right now we need to retrieve my sister and niece from their home."

"Okay," Harry replied drawing out the word, "any particular reason why?"

"The facility has more agents than just what was in that one building. I want to make sure they cannot use my sister as leverage to get me or Laura back, especially now that I have been changed."

Harry stood there for a moment. He really felt he needed to use the dimensional energy to find any others Doctor Strange Fate may have pulled from other realities, but he also couldn't leave Sarah's sister to be attacked and used by the facility. Laura could probably retrieve them on her own, but he had started this journey with them, he would finish it.

"Let me get changed, and we'll go."


	11. Chapter 11

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 11**

Harry stepped out of a portal into Deborah Kinney's backyard. Wind tugged at his dark blue blazer, revealing the pale blue shirt beneath. He looked around him, the grass seeming to glow. Cautiously, he knelt down, morning dew soaking through his jeans.

Reaching out with his mind, he caressed the grass with his fingertips. Apparently learning about the five elements gave him a stronger sensing ability. Plant seemed to be made up of a combination of earth and water.

Using his will, he pulled a bit of the plants energy into him letting it cycle through his body. If he could get a feel for this energy, he could manipulate plants. That would not only help him in fights, but it could also help him help the world at large by growing extinct plants which could provide cures for diseases.

Looking up, he eyed the rectangular bushes that frame the yard hiding their entrance from the neighbors. Leaves from the yard single tree fluttered on the breeze.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the portal, "Alright its safe."

Laura moved out of the portal next. Removing her hands from her red leather jacket, her claws emerged from her knuckles. She moved with grace, her black slip on shoes and spandex pants barely making any noise as she searched for threats.

Harry watched her move, admiring the grace. It reminded him of a wolf stalking its prey, or a tiger hiding in the underbrush waiting to strike.

She looked back at him, giving him a stiff nod.

"I told you."

Sarah emerged from the portal, a black tank top hugging her new frame. Jeans accentuated the curves of her new longer legs. Her long dark hair had been taken out of its bun and shaped into a casual ponytail. She inhaled deeply, causing her chest to swell. A smile spread across her face, "It's good to smell something beyond antiseptic and blood."

Harry faced forward, his hands in his blazer pockets, telling himself that Sarah was off limits, no matter how attractive she looked, "Why don't you lead the way, your sisters already going to have enough questions without a stranger knocking on her back door."

Sarah inclined her head, gliding forward with a different type of grace than her daughter. Laura moved to take up a position behind Harry watching the rear.

As Sarah led the way forward, Harry rolled the energy he'd absorbed from the grass around in his mind, getting its composition firmly imprinted within him.

Once he felt he had the energy composition down, he focused a little bit of water and earth magic into his hand. The water boosted the nurturing aspects of earth and he pushed his will forward, picturing a red rose in his mind.

Slowly, he began to push his will into the image, the green energy wreathing his left hand slowly taking the form of a rose.

After a solid minute, a rose formed in his hand, the thorns pricked his finger.

Laura turned towards him, arching an eyebrow at the rose in his hand.

Flicking his wrist, Harry sunk the rose into the ground now using his psionics to control the new rose. By the time they reached the glass door leading into the house, there was a bed of roses off to the left that hadn't been there before.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts of what other combinations he could create and control with his powers.

"Experimenting."

"Well stop it. I don't want to freak my sister out."

"We're entering through her backyard without any sign of how we got there; I think we're well past not freaking her out."

Shaking her head, Sarah knocked on the sliding glass door. For a moment there was silence then the sound of soft footsteps moving closer reached their ears.

Harry tensed reaching out with his will, wrapping an invisible barrier around Sarah and Laura.

A woman with short black hair appeared on the other side of the door, her green eyes widening as she saw Sarah. She opened the door, her tanned skin stretching as her lips formed into an O, "Sarah? Is that you?"

Sarah's pink lips formed into a smile, "Hi Deborah, can we come in?"

Deborah's gaze swept over the group before she slowly nodded moving aside.

As they moved into the house, Harry's gaze swept over Deborah, taking in the peppermint green scrubs hiding her body, "So, are you a Doctor?"

Deborah glanced at him as she moved by, "No, I'm a Dental Hygienist."

Stopping at the sink, Deborah leaned against the counter, "It's not like you to show up without calling, what's wrong? And why have you grown taller?"

Laura looked around her, a curious expression on her face.

Harry glanced around him, finding the same circular table and fridge framed in a recess that he had seen in Sarah's memories. He shifted, his shoes squeaking on the yellow linoleum floor as he peeked out the window above the sink.

A White House set across the street, a pinwheel in the yard spinning in the wind.

Sarah glanced at her daughter, before her gaze flicked to Hadrian, "This young man here Hadrian Grey," she gestured to Hadrian, "helped Laura and I escaped from the facility."

Deborah glanced at Laura. Slowly, she moved forward.

Harry moved aside, allowing Deborah easier access to her niece.

Laura tensed.

Deborah stopped before her, offering her hand to her with a smile, "Hello Laura, I am Deborah, your aunt."

Laura stared at the hand for a moment, before slowly encircling it with her own, "Hello," she said softly.

The sound of a door opening rang through the house. "Mom, I'm home and I've brought Desmond with me."

Deborah turned, "Hey baby I've got a surprise," she turned back to the trio, "Come on, I'm sure Megan would love to meet her new cousin."

Together, the small group moved into the living room.

Harry looked around him, beige carpet covered the floor, and an L shape sofa set in the center of the room, a large wooden coffee table with recesses underneath set three feet in front of it.

Lamps stood at the top corners of the L-shaped sofa, and a large TV was mounted on the far wall.

Looking over to the sofa, Harry found a young blonde his age or a year younger. She had short blonde hair, green eyes and an oval-shaped face. Pale skin was exposed thanks to the tight white T-shirt she wore. Dark jeans hugged her legs as they stretched out on the coffee table, showing off curvaceous hips.

"Megan," Deborah spoke, causing the blonde to turn to her, "these are your aunt and cousin, Laura and Sarah Kinney."

Megan's legs dropped down as she stood to her feet, her high-heeled black boots giving her a good four inches, "Hi I am…"

Megan was cut off as the young man rose to his feet.

Harry glanced at him.

He was 5'6" tall with short brown hair that was spiked in the front. His Brown eyes were locked on Laura. In a blink, he reached behind him, pulling something from the back of his jeans. With a flick of his wrist, a glass flew through the air, familiar green liquid sloshing around inside it.

Laura tensed along with Sarah, while Deborah screamed demanding to know what Desmond was doing.

Reaching out his will, Harry froze the capsule in midair halfway between Desmond and Deborah. Wrapping it in a sphere of air, Harry added a spark of blue flame to it.

The capsule vanished in a luminescent flash.

Seeing his attack failed, Desmond reached behind him again, but before he could finish his movement, Harry threw him against the wall with a telepathic push, using his new understanding of plants to cause the wood and paper to form around his body.

He thrashed around, but only succeeded in tearing his black shirt.

Stepping forward Harry allowed his will to sweep over the body. With a curl of his fingers, two guns floated in the air towards him, one was a single shot that had been strapped to his lower leg. The other was a Glock that had been hiding in the waistband of his jeans behind his back.

Ignoring what was going on around him, Harry stretched forth his senses. With what he learned about the plants, he was eager to know if there was anything else his new elements could do. He found that metal was just a composition of minerals; since they came from the earth it was easy for him to manipulate the metal like Plato.

The moment he did so, the ability to manipulate metal with his psionics blossomed in his mind. He now understood Metallokinesis. He wondered why he had to study to gain these manipulations, but Sarah calling his name brought him out of his thoughts before he could take too long to think on the subject.

"Hadrian, Hadrian, are you alright?"

Harry shook his head, glancing at Sarah who now stood in front of her sister, "Yeah, I am fine just discovering something new about my abilities." Turning his attention back to the gun, he broke the gun down into its component parts, slipping the bullets into his pocket before crushing the pieces into small metal balls. He glanced at Desmond, who had a look of fear on his face, "next time bring a bigger weapon."

With a snarl, Laura stalked forward, her claws emerging from her knuckles.

"What is going on?" Megan screamed, "Why did my boyfriend attack my aunt, how did he fly through the air, and why does my cousin have metal growing out of her hands?"

"I'll leave this to you, since they are your family," Harry said to Sarah, his gaze focused on Desmond, "while you're explaining all this I will talk with Desmond to see what he knows."

"I doubt he's going to tell you anything."

"I wasn't planning on asking." With that, Harry went stock still his eyes glowing blue, and Desmond stop struggling against his bonds.

"Right, telepath," Sarah muttered.

Glancing at Laura, who was standing less than a foot away from Desmond, her claws raised, "Laura, don't kill him, Hadrian's getting information. Watch the door while I explain what's going on to your aunt and cousin."

For a moment, Laura just stood there her claws raised. Eyes still narrowed, she lowered her arm. With one final snarl, she spun on her heel plopping down in a chair closest to the door so she could watch out the window.

With the situation handled, Sarah backed into a white wingback chair sitting at a left angle to the couch. With an exhalation she began, focusing her attention on her sister, "You know how I told you I worked for a government facility, who was responsible for Laura's birth," she glanced at her daughter.

"Yeah," her sister said moving to sit beside her daughter.

"Well…"

Over the next hour, Sarah explained everything that happened at the facility, from her meeting Hadrian to their appearing in her backyard.

After she was finished, Deborah sat there, looking her sister over with a critical eye. "So he, she glanced at Hadrian, "is some kind of magical mutant," she glanced at her sister, "you have been changed to some superwoman, and the rest of the facilities assets are going to come after you, one of which appears to be my daughter's boyfriend. Is that about right?"

Sarah leaned back in her chair, "That's the important bits."

Deborah shook her head, cupping the glass of water in her hands, "And people said I was the troubled sister growing up."

Sarah snorted, "I'm just a late bloomer."

Sitting her glass on the table in front of her, Deborah grabbed her daughter's hand, "So what happens now?"

Sarah glanced at one out of two of the only males in the room, "we wait till Hadrian gets done going through Desmond's mind, then we continue on with the plan."

"Which is?"

"Going to the Xavier Institute, there is enough mutants there that the facility wouldn't try to attack us because they would lose too many assets."

"Are Megan and I in any danger?"

Sarah looked away, "You were in danger the moment I started working for the facility, I just didn't realize it," she glanced back at her sister, "I'm sorry."

Deborah stared at her sister. When they were younger, her sister had told teachers at school about their father's abuse. However, when the police came by to investigate the allegations, she and her mother did not backup her sister story, resulting in Sarah being abused even worse.

This had caused a rift to grow between the sisters. They had started getting closer again after Laura's conception. With how dangerous the world was, she didn't want her sister separated from her again, they would be stronger as a unit than they were separately.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Hadrian moved and Desmond's head fell onto his chest, drool coming out of one corner of his mouth.

Sarah turned to the right, "What did you find out?"

Harry moved over to another white winged high-back chair sitting between Sarah and the large screen TV. Plopping down in it, he leaned back the metal orbs from the gun slowly revolving around the palm of his hand. What little plastic was in the gun floated up, taking its spot in the center of the rotating orbs before shifting into a stylized sun.

"From what I was able to get from Desmond and Kimura's minds all the different facets of weapon X compete with one another to create a better weapon." he glanced at Laura, "the X twenty-three program was meant to be used as a base for something bigger."

"So where does that leave us?"

"The easiest way for Laura and yourself to be protected would be to join the X-Men," he looked to Sarah, "With your new abilities that shouldn't be a problem."

"Where does that leave me and my daughter?" Deborah asked sitting her glass down on the table.

"Well the way I see it you have two options. One is to move away and forget you ever had a sister, the other is to join the X-Men," he shook his head, "they say they're all about mutant and human cooperation, so they shouldn't have a problem with you living at the Institute," he smiled to her, "I'm sure the Institute could use an on-site dentist, which you could get with a little more schooling or a telepathic download."

Deborah looked at the young man before her, maybe a year older than her daughter. She was surprised at the power he possessed, the way he spoke with such certainty and his answers. She looked at her sister, could she abandon her sister again to live a life under an assumed name always having to look over her shoulder. Would it even be safe, what if these people found her?

Exhaling, Deborah's gaze locked with her sister's "We'll go to the Institute for now."

"What!" Megan exclaimed jumping to her feet, "These people just show up, and you're willing to uproot our lives, my boyfriend just pulled a gun on someone who is supposed to be my aunt and cousin. How do we know they are the good guys?"

"Megan," Deborah began, but Harry raised a hand.

"There are no good guys in the situation, but I can show you the things the facility did to Laura, if you want."

Sarah shot him a look, shaking her head.

"Desmond Alexander was placed in your lives just in case something like this ever happened. The personality he showed was a fake, the green capsule he threw at Laura was something called a trigger scent, it would've caused her to go into a berserker rage and kill everyone in the room."

He looked to Sarah, "Remind me to fix that later."

Tears began to stream down Megan's pale cheeks, causing her mascara to run, "So," she whispered, "he didn't love me at all." She sat down, her mother scooted close wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Harry could have answered her question, but kept his mouth shut. Desmond Alexander did have some affection for her, but his mission always came first, that was something Zander Rice reminded him every time they met. The consequences of him getting too involved was his death and the death of his family.

Granted he and his family are probably going to die now anyways. Since the Kinneys escaped and exposed this branch of the facility.

For a minute the group sat there letting Deborah comfort her daughter. When Megan's tears finally stopped, Sarah looked at Harry, "Can you transport us directly to the Institute?"

"I probably could if I had a picture of the grounds, but my mental abilities haven't gotten strong enough for me to sense if there's anything in the way of where I'm teleporting, so we could end up inside a bystander."

Sarah winced. "Driving it is then," She looked back at him. "but how did you know there was no one in the way when you teleported us into Deborah's backyard?"

"I used your memories of the property to create a good mental map, so that allowed me to be more precise with the portal, plus given the time of day, I thought everyone would be at work. Once we get closer to the Institute, I should be able to spread out my senses and create a portal there."

Sarah looked to her sister, "Pack what you need, will leave as soon as possible."

– **XX –**

Harry walked down the pale concrete that made up the Kinney driveway broadcasting a do not pay attention impulse throughout the neighborhood. A twinge of pain flashed through his brain as he reached the limits of his telepathic power, but at least no one would see what he was about to do.

Stopping beside the family SUV, he placed his hand on the hood, frowning as he realized the outer shell of the car was made of some type of polymer. This would make things more difficult. If it was metal, he could've used his metal manipulation to change its composition and make it more durable, but since the polymer was a man-made product, there was very little here for him to manipulate.

That only left him with one option. Tendrils of fire snaked out from beneath his hand, carving minuscule runes into the metal around the Windows as well as the lug nuts that held on the tires before snaking into the car and writing more on the axle. When the axle was done the tendrils moved to the engine carving more runes.

Once the runes covered every bit of metal, he reached out with his new Metallokinesis pulling minute amounts of metal from the ground to fill in the spaces left behind by the runes. With the runes filled in, he focused on the metal inside changing the composition to match the metal of Laura's claws.

Work done, he pulled his hand away from the roof, wincing at the blackened handprint he left behind. Using his telekinesis he slipped his will underneath the dent and lightly pushed up until the handprint disappeared, leaving behind a blackened section.

Lightly, he slipped his will underneath the blackened paint slowly peeling it upwards. With the blackened paint floating in the air, he grabbed the edges of the space he had made and slowly sealed the hole shut. Using transmutation to change the air molecules into the pigment of paint needed.

With his work finally done, he stepped back. Eyeing the car to make sure his runes weren't visible. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but this may actually work out better, since the runes would give the car whatever durability was inside them, so the vehicle now had the durability of one of the strongest metals on earth, without the added weight.

Sarah emerged from the house, "They're' ready."

Harry opened the door, allowing Megan to get in. Closing the door, he opened it for Laura, but she shook her head, indicating she wanted to ride close to the door, so Harry slid in.

Within a few more minutes, everyone was in and the things loaded.

Deborah pulled out of the driveway, and Harry withdrew his psychic command, heading with the Kinney family into the unknown.


	12. Chapter 12

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 12**

Harry leaned back into the soft seat of the Kinney family SUV. Keeping his hands clasped in his lap he closed his eyes pushing his mind out intending to watch their surroundings. However, the moment his mind touched the air moving outside the car, a three dimensional picture of the world filled his mind showing him everything that the air touched.

His eyes clenched shut, his mind struggling to cope with the new information flooding his brain. Sucking in through his nose, he smelled the floury scent of Megan Kinney's perfume along with the scent of stale blood that lingered on Laura.

Exhaling, he felt the wind fluctuate with the movement. Repeating the process a few more times, the images finally settled, allowing him to see anything the wind touched within a two mile range.

"Are you alright?"

Harry cracked one eye, finding Laura staring at him, her head cocked to the side.

"I'm fine, just keeping an eye on our surroundings."

Laura nodded, turning her head to stare back out the window.

Harry allowed his eyes to drift closed again, his focus turning back to the wind.

"So, you gave my aunt superpowers?"

This time Harry opened both eyes, finding Megan Kinney staring at him, light from the sun highlighting her blonde hair.

"Accidentally."

"Can you do the same for me?"

Harry glanced up at the ceiling in thought.

"You are not getting superpowers," Deborah said from the front seat, her green eyes locked on her daughter through the rearview mirror.

"Oh, come on mom were being chased by assassins, we need any edge we can get." She looked back at Harry, "Can you do it?"

Slowly, Harry brought his eyes back down to meet Megan's, marveling at how all the Kinney family had such beautiful eyes, "I could probably replicate the process, but there's no guarantee you would get the same powers as your aunt, because of slight genetic differences," he glanced up front, "but you have to get your mother to agree first."

Megan glanced up front, opening her mouth.

"No!"

It was getting dark by the time the SUV approached the Canadian border. Tension built in the family's shoulders, and Deborah nervously smooth down her black blouse.

As Deborah pulled up beside the guard, slowly lowering the window, Harry reached out with his mind.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes went blank, "Go on through and have a pleasant stay in America," he said in a monotone voice.

The Kinney's just sat there glancing at each other.

Harry leaned forward, his hands on the back of Deborah and Sarah seats, "You heard the man."

Muttering a thank you, Deborah rolled up the windows pushing the gas to drive them forward. Once they pass through the border, Sarah turned to glance at him, "What did you do?"

Harry raised his shoulders, "Just took over his mind for a few minutes, he won't ever remember seeing us, and a subliminal message will cause him to take care of the video during the time we were passing through the border."

Sarah nodded.

Deborah however looked at him with a hint of fear.

Harry offered her a small smile, "Don't worry I don't take control of people often."

An uncomfortable silence settled in the car.

' _Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut.'_

Eventually, Sarah broke the silence, "I think we need to find a place to stop for the night."

"Wouldn't it be better for us to keep driving?" Deborah asked her hands tightening on the wheel.

"If all of us could stay awake and completely alert the entire way to the Xavier Institute maybe. However, about the time we get tired, we will become vulnerable."

Harry closed his eyes, "I'm using the air to watch the world around us, but it would be better to disappear for a few hours, preferably somewhere with no cameras. That would also give me the chance to change the look of the car."

Deborah nodded, turning off the main road.

– **XX –**

The sun had set as they drove down a dilapidated Street. Street lamps flickered or were broken, leaving patches of darkness on sidewalks littered with trash. Buildings on the left side of the road were boarded up, graffiti covering their brick or concrete surfaces.

Harry pointed to a two-story white building in the distance, "Pullover there."

"That's not a hotel, and this isn't exactly the safest neighborhood."

"Trust me."

Deborah glanced at her sister, a silent question in her eyes.

Sarah nodded once.

Exhaling, Deborah turned into the parking lot, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. Putting the car in park, she turned to look at Harry, "Now what."

Harry noticed for the first time just how low-cut Deborah's blouse was. He shook his head, "The way I see it we have two options, we can either find a hotel in this part of town, or I can take you all back to my place. We stay there for the night, and reappear here in the morning to continue on our way."

"What about the car?"

"Don't worry I'll take care of that too. Now," he leaned back into the seat, "why don't you talk about it amongst your selves and I'll wait outside." Closing his eyes, he vanished in a flash of golden light appearing at the back of the car.

Deborah looked at her sister, "Can we trust him?"

Sarah released a breath through her nose. "He had more than enough chances to kill Laura and me. He allowed us to stay at his home and brought us directly to you through a magical portal. I don't really understand his motives, but he won't hurt us."

Laura opened her door.

The two women watched as she moved around the car to stand beside Harry.

Sarah's lips curled upwards in a smile, "Well it looks like Laura has made her choice."

Grabbing her bag, Megan opened her door, moving to stand on Harry's other side.

Deborah shook her head, "This makes us even for everything I did as a kid."

Sarah pushed away the images of her father beating her after she went to the police about the abuse her family was suffering. She stared into Deborah's eyes, seeing the little girl she once was huddled in the corner watching it happen.

If that's what it took to keep her sister alive, her only remaining family alive, then so be it, "Fair enough."

Together they got out of the car, standing shoulder to shoulder before the three teens.

Harry stepped forward, "Have you made your decision?"

With one final glance at her sister, Sarah spoke, "We will return with you to your home."

Harry inclined his head, "Good, we'll be safe there for the night." Moving to the car, he stretched out his senses through the air making sure there was no one around them. Placing a hand on the metal he combined transmutation and molecular manipulation to change the vehicle.

First it changed from silver to dark blue. Then it shone with a light blue energy, shrinking down to the size of a matchbox car.

Picking it up off the ground, he stuck it in his pocket. Turning around, he found the women staring at him.

"Cool," Megan breathed.

"You can turn it back right?" Deborah asked.

"Of course, I just thought you wouldn't want to leave it in this neighborhood."

Stepping past the girls, he thrust his hand forward. Reality shattered like glass, leaving behind a smooth circle hanging in midair.

Cautious but curious, Megan and Deborah moved forward peering through the hole. They found themselves staring into the foyer of a Victorian-style home.

While the Kinney's were marveling at his portal, Harry stared at his hand. The transformation with the car was the first time he'd ever used transmutation and molecular manipulation together. Something about it felt right, like coming home to an old friend.

He shook his head, "We need to get moving before we're spotted."

Hands clasped together, Deborah and Megan stepped through the portal stepping out onto hardwood floors covered in a maroon rug that trailed up the staircase before them.

Both turned at a hissing sound behind them, just in time to see Harry emerge through the closing portal, Laura and Sarah in front of him. Information blossomed in their minds, directions that hadn't been there a moment ago.

"You all know the way to your rooms, you also know the way to anything you may need including kitchen and bathroom, don't go exploring. You'll find doors you're not supposed to be in locked. With that I will see you in the morning." Stepping past them, Harry headed up the stairs, ready for his first good night sleep in five days.

– **XX –**

The next morning, Harry floated crossed legged above his disheveled bed, his hands forming a circle in his lap. A black leather tome floated in front of him, yellowed pages slowly turning, _Manipulations of the soul by the Morrigan._

As the last page flipped over, and the information filled his mind, the two covers of the book joined together. Releasing a breath, he waved his hand, sending the tome back to his lab.

Interestingly enough, manipulations of the soul had some connections with manipulations of the elements; it revealed a deeper connection to nature, by revealing the ability to manipulate life force. The applications to healing enhanced his ability to manipulate biological matter.

Shaking his head, he looked around the room a frown creasing his features.

When he went to bed last night, he was sleeping in a four-poster bed with crimson and maroon sheets. This morning when he woke up, he found himself in a more modern king-size bed with white sheets underneath a light blue comforter.

A dresser set against the far wall directly in front of the bed. The Bureau that had been there the night before was gone, replaced by doors to a small closet.

With a curl of his fingers, the drawers of the dresser opened, close floated out of it. With another flick of his hand, sheets pulled taut, any evidence he slept in the bed disappearing.

The clothes, a light blue T-shirt, jeans, socks, a pair of grey tennis shoes, and a black leather jacket neatly folded themselves on the edge of the bed.

He glanced at the bathroom relieved to find its modern amenities hadn't disappeared. Uncrossing his legs, he winced slightly at the stiffness in his knees.

Floating higher in the air, he took a moment to stretch his body. Once he felt limber enough to move without the risk of falling, he lowered himself to the bed swinging his legs over the edge and rising to his feet.

Grabbing the clothes from the edge of the bed, he moved towards the door to the bathroom. He hoped the girls wouldn't be too freaked out when they discovered themselves in a different style room than the one they fell asleep in.

– **XX –**

Sarah Kinney moved down the hallway towards the stairs leading to the kitchen, her daughter by her side. She glanced around her, expecting the way to have changed from the night before, but the hallway looked the same. She went to bed and a normal queen-size bed and woken up in a queen-size four-poster bed with yellow and pink sheets.

She shuddered, the bed had changed around her and she hadn't even noticed. Her daughter glanced at her, a touch of concern in her blue eyes. "I'm fine darling, just an interesting night."

Laura nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

Sarah looked her daughter over.

She wore a pair of jeans that stopped in the middle of her calf, a black T-shirt with three silver stylized claw marks on it, and a pair of black flat slip on shoes. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun to keep it out of the way. A smile tugged at her lips at how much the girl look like her with her hair like that.

She looked down at herself, a white blouse, strained against her larger breasts, it was surprising that she no longer needed a bra, but she chocked it up to the magic of her change. Black dress pants showed off a narrow waist, and matching high heels barely made a sound on the carpeted floor.

She reached her hand up, slender fingers brushing the bun at the back of her head, her smile widened; she and Laura probably look like twins right now.

Together they moved down the staircase, Laura slipping her way in front of her mother. Sarah smile dimmed, she guessed it would take time for Laura to relax. Not that relaxing was a good idea right now.

The sound of sizzling reached their ears. Holding up her hand Laura moved forward her claws slowly emerging from her knuckles. Peeking around the door frame of the kitchen, she relaxed gesturing to her mother with her left hand.

Sarah moved forward, still not used to the grace her new body provided her. Letting her hand glide across her daughter's hair, she turned into the kitchen.

Hadrian Grey stood before the stove, plates of bacon, potatoes, toast, and sausage spread out on the table behind him. He grabbed the handle of the cast-iron pan, flipping the eggs in the air, using his powers to cause three other pans to mimic his actions.

He glanced behind him, an icy blue eye locking onto the girls, "Breakfast will be ready shortly. Have a seat. There are drinks in the fridge if you're thirsty."

Laura moved forward, inhaling the scent of the food. After a moment, she nodded.

Sarah moved forward, her hands folded behind her back, she seriously doubted Hadrian would go to all this trouble of helping them just to poison them with food, but given the current situation, they couldn't take any chances, no matter how much she wanted her daughter to have a normal life.

Laura sat down placing sausage, bacon, and potatoes on her plate.

Sarah sat down just as Hadrian moved over with the eggs. The table enlarged itself slightly to hold the new additions. "Does this happen often around here?"

Harry turned from where he was getting condiments and drinks from the fridge, "What?"

"The tables enlarging. Beds changing while you sleep in them."

Harry inclined his head, "So that happen to you too huh. I haven't lived here long, the house bonded to my soul after my mother's death, but for many years I lived in a monastery training in the Marshall and mystic arts."

"Bonded to your soul," Sarah repeated slowly not quite believing the words she had just spoken.

"My mother was a magic user of the highest order. When she arrived here from between universes, she brought the house she bonded to her in her home universe with her." He glanced around them, "I have to say, it's been an invaluable resource. There are things I can get here that I can't get anywhere else."

"Your mother was from a different universe, she was an alien?"

"More like a dimensional traveler."

Sarah looked him over with a scientist eye. She would love to get a DNA sample to see how his genes differed from hers or Laura's.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "If you want some of my blood, all you have to do is ask, but I would expect some type of payment," he wiggled his eyebrows.

He'd already told her so much, but Sarah wanted to see if she could get more while he was feeling open, "You mentioned your mother, but what about your father."

Harry turned back to the fridge, his voice softer than before, "My father was a detective, he was also from another universe, but he died when I was young."

"I'm sorry."

Harry raised his shoulder and silence fell between them.

She would really love to get his DNA now, mutant genes from two different universes coming together, the potential would be limitless, she glanced at him, wondering what the full extent of his powers were.

"Water or soda?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, "What?"

"Water or soda?" Hadrian repeated.

"Water."

Harry nodded moving away from the fridge, water in one hand Coke in the other and another Coke floating in the air beside him. Sitting one Coke down in front of Laura, he sat the other one beside a plate between them before handing Sarah the water.

Sitting down he began dipping food onto his plate, "I understand my genetics are fascinating to you, but I would appreciate it if you would curb your scientific interest until we get you somewhere safe," he glanced at her, "remember those scientific interest are what got you in trouble in the first place."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Deborah and Megan entered the room, taking seats between her and Laura.

Harry turned his attention to the newcomers, "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

Megan spoke first, "Fine, but it was a little creepy to have my bed change styles in the middle of the night."

"Sorry about that, magic of the house, I have no idea why it does it."

"Is the magic of the house how you knew our clothing sizes?" Deborah asked.

"Well, to be honest I could've gotten your clothing sizes from your minds, but I didn't. The house must provide everything the occupants may need."

"Must provide? You live here and you don't know how your house works."

Harry returned to eating, once he'd swallowed another bite of egg he answered. "Like I was telling Sarah I inherited this house from my mother, I'm still learning its quirks."

The small group sat in silence eating breakfast after that statement. Once everyone was finished, Harry rose to his feet, banishing the remnants of food and floating the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "Is everyone ready to go?"

Nodding, the Kinney women rose to their feet.

Thrusting his hand towards the kitchen doorway, reality once again shattered as Harry opened the circular portal to the parking lot they had arrived from. He held up a hand as Laura moved forward, "Hang on just a second."

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind, connecting with the air on the other side of the portal. Using his new what he was calling wind sense, he made sure there was no one nearby. "Alright, we're good no one's around, but move fast that could change."

Together, the group hurried through the portal.

– **XX –**

One hour later, Deborah Kinney pulled off the interstate, still marveling at how well her car operated after being shrunken down to the size of a child's toy.

According to Sarah, they were heading to a secluded plot of land just outside the city.

She glanced out the window, watching the people move by on the sidewalks. She wondered if she and her daughter would ever be able to do that again without having to look over their shoulder in fear of an attack.

She glanced at the rearview mirror, eyeing the man who changed their lives as he sat in between her niece and daughter. Could they really trust him, what were his motives? Why was he doing this for them?

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, glowing a light blue, "Brace yourselves." He slapped his hands together, a sphere of air appeared around the car and each of its occupants felt themselves being yanked upwards.

Moments later, an earthquake shook the city below, they watched from up in the air as buildings collapsed, sending grey clouds of smoke drifting upwards.

Sarah leaned forward, "What happened, a meteor?"

"No," Harry said his eyes once again closed as the wind showed him the world below. The car slowly began drifting downwards, as it touched the broken asphalt. The group got a look at the cause of the destruction.

A massive orange figure ten feet tall and four feet wide stood in the center of the square, ripping the remains of metal restraints off his tree-trunk sized arms.

Megan leaned forward, "There's an Orange Hulk?"

"Apparently."


	13. Chapter 13

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 13**

Slowly, Harry turned to Laura, "It will be your job to get them to the Institute safe now."

Sarah turned in her seat, "What are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to go see if I can help our orange friend here."

"Why?"

"Can't you hear them?"

"Hear what?"

He gestured out the windshield, "The children, I can feel their fear, hear their screams even if they're not out loud. I know what it's like to be afraid of a monster, so I'm going to go see if I can help."

He placed a hand on both Laura and Sarah shoulders, letting the knowledge of Asclepius enhanced by the Morrigan's soul knowledge feel the differences in their DNA. "Both of you be safe," his lips twitched, "I've grown quite fond of you during our time together."

In a blue flash, he was gone. The group turned, finding the redhead standing in front of the car.

Harry looked around him, broken pieces of asphalt crunching under his feet as he shifted his weight. Bodies littered the street, some moaning, others silent forever. His ice blue eyes trailed up the buildings, taking in the people peeking out the shattered windows.

Cracks littered the surface of every building, some shifted dangerously.

People in tourist clothes clutched loved ones, or tried to comfort their children.

Releasing a breath, he stretched out his senses, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to need help, there's just too much damage for me to put it right on my own." Touching each of the conscious minds littering the street, he cast his mind back to how the street looked just before the orange Hulk impacted.

Once he had the image firmly in his mind, he pushed will into it, blue energy shone out of his body like a star.

– **XX –**

The group in the car cried out, turning away from the light.

When it faded, Sarah's eyes widened at what she saw out the window. The street was repaired there was no sign of the damage that had been there before. The injured got up, their bodies whole and undamaged. The wounds and the dead were gone, but it appeared even Hadrian had his limits.

The redhead waved his left arm, signaling them to go around him.

"Go," Sarah said to her sister.

"You actually think that things going to let us just drive around it?" Deborah asked turning to her sister.

"I guess we're just going to have to put our faith and Hadrian that he can distract the monster."

Turning to stare at the redhead one final time, Deborah put her car in drive, slowly pulling around the man her sister seemed to trust with their lives, and the orange monstrosity he was getting ready to face.

– **XX –**

Harry took a step forward swaying slightly. It was probably a bad idea using so much power before going into an unknown situation, but he had to help the people, he couldn't just leave them to die, he had to give them a little bit of protection, even if that protection was just a bit of glass.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, "Hey buddy, you okay."

The orange giant turned its blocky head towards him, its dark hair waving in the wind that swept the streets. Its trashcan lid sized hands clenched and unclenched, "I've got what you need, I won't go back," its voice a deep base that sent the water in his body quivering.

Harry raised his hands, slowly making his way forward, mentally wishing he had something besides his leather jacket for protection, while simultaneously wondering who the guy was talking to, "Okay, that's fine. You don't have to go back, but we need to get you out of the street before more people get hurt"

"I'm not going anywhere," he screamed, shaking the street and revealing white blocky teeth.

Pushing off the ground with his tree-trunk size legs, the giant leapt into the air, his fist cocked back ready to nail Harry into the ground.

"So much for ending this peacefully," placing his hands together, Harry spread them wide opening a glowing blue circular shaped portal before the monster. With a roar, the orange monstrosity disappeared.

Glancing around at the dead bodies littering the street, Harry turned back to the portal, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." Leaning forward, he allowed himself to fall through the other side of the portal. With a hissing sizzle, it close shut behind him.

– **XX–**

Nicholas fury gripped the edges of a terminal and rose to his feet, sirens blaring in his ears and red light dancing over his dark skin. His single Brown eye swept over the stations where his subordinates sat at dead keyboards, the holographic screens that usually hovered above them gone, "Status report," he barked.

"The Orange Hulk escaped containment. He landed in one of the northern blocks of New York City." Maria Hill answered, her dark eyes staring down at a tablet that was miraculously still working.

Nicholas turned, watching Maria walk forward to stand beside him.

A grey leather body suit clung to her frame, accentuating her hips while showing just a bit of cleavage. White holsters containing two state-of-the-art rectangular guns balanced on each hip, along with a dagger sitting in a white sheath around her thigh.

Sharp fingernails brushed a strand of her short dark hair behind her ear.

"Shut off the alarms and bring me a visual on the Orange Hulk."

"Right away sir," Maria saluted, her 5'10" frame ramrod straight. Turning, she barked out orders, men and women in dark blue skintight suits ran around the deck of the massive flying ship, their weapons bouncing against their hips.

Before long, an image settled in the large window at the far end of the room showing the shattered remains of the city below.

Fury's gaze locked onto the dark blue SUV sitting untouched in the middle of the destruction. "Find out who that vehicle belongs too!" He barked, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Fury and Maria watched as a redheaded teen appeared in front of the car. A bright flash filled the screen, and when it faded the street was repaired, the injuries of the wounded were healed, but the dead remained laying on the ground their wounds gone. The redhead swayed on his feet.

"Well," Maria began, "it looks like we have a new player in town."

"Registry of the car, unknown sir," a technician called from the other end of the room.

Nicholas ran a hand over his bald head, "Like we needed another one of those. I want measurements and ID on the newcomer."

"Yes sir," the people scattered around the room shouted in unison.

Maria took a step forward, the pale skin of her forehead wrinkling as she watched the redhead approached the Orange Hulk, "He's either very brave, or very stupid."

Fury nodded at the screen as the redhead waved his left hand, "He's buying time for the people in the car to get around the monster."

A light flashed on Maria's tablet, "According to our scans, he is if you centimeters over six feet. Unfortunately, his face doesn't register in any database."

Everyone watched as the Hulk leapt into the air, its fist cocked back. Their eyes widened as he disappeared into a portal, soon followed by the redhead.

"Find them now."

"We're picking up concentrated high density ultraviolet rays near the bank of the Hudson River."

"What do you want to do sir?" Maria asked as the view on the screen shifted to show the Hulk landing a foot off the ground. The redhead emerged from the portal a few feet away.

"We'll watch and see how this plays out, but get ready to capture them both."

Saluting crisply, Maria spun on her heel and marched from the room, the high heels of her boots echoing with her exit.

– **XX –**

Harry stepped out of the portal, the sand giving beneath his shoes. He looked around him, the Hudson River lapped at its banks. Cars from the nearby bridge zoomed by the sound carried on a gust of musty air.

He was torn out of his reverie as the orange monstrosity rose to his feet, sand sticking to his skin.

"Listen buddy, I just want to…"

He was cut off as the musclebound male swung at him, "I won't go back," he roared, the sound sending ripples through the nearby water.

Harry leapt away, the wind from the Orange fist ruffling his clothes, "So much for talking this out."

Landing on the ground, he reached beneath the sand finding what he needed just as the creature charged. He thrust his hand forward, a wave of sand slamming into the brute, stalling him for a moment before he pushed through like it was nothing but a small wave in the ocean.

Cursing, he slammed his hands together, the ground beneath the Hulk's feet twisted, pulling him down.

Hulk roared, flailing around, only to sink deeper into the earth.

Panting lightly, Harry kept his hands together, eyes locked on the spinning earth.

How in the world was he supposed to take this thing down? He didn't have enough energy left after repairing the city to create a Psionic construct big enough to go toe to toe with it, he wasn't even sure that would work. Not to mention he would feel every blow as a sharp knife through his brain.

That only left him with one choice. Pulling on what he found beneath the sand vines burst up from the earth, sinking into his skin. Once the web of vines covered his entire body, sand began to crawl up him raising him an extra three feet into the air.

The sand hardened into a ten foot tall approximation of the human body. With his face replacing the approximations blank features, he felt more moss on the inside of his creation. Hopefully it would be able to cushion him from any blows this monstrosity landed.

Flexing his larger hands, he willed his body to move. This caused him to lose control of the spinning earth as it took a few halting steps forward.

The orange Hulk burst from the earth upper cutting him and sending him flying into the air.

He felt his brain bouncing inside his skull as he became airborne. With a force of will, his golem back flipped in midair, landing on the ground with its knees bent. World spinning, he forced his earth armor to take a boxers stance. Stretching out his senses he connected to the wind.

The world took a three dimensional view inside his mind, anything the air touched sending ripples out that gave him more detail.

The orange Hulk roared, stomping on the ground. A wave of sand rushed towards Harry, but he circled out of the way before sprinting forward. He launched a fist at his muscled opponent. The blow slammed into his chin sending him staggering back a step.

Capitalizing on this, he spun on his right foot, bringing his left around in a kick aimed towards Hulk's knee, just as a massive orange hand swatted his right side, sending him staggering to the left.

Harry blinked dark spots from his vision. Man this thing hit hard, even with his golem he wasn't able to produce enough force to really hurt the thing.

The ground trembled as the Hulk stomped towards him.

Turning to face him, Harry thrust his hands forward. They elongated splitting into four and grabbing a hold of a wrist and ankle before hoisting the giant into the air.

Looking up at the brute, a luminescent blue light filled his eyes as he was lowered to the ground, the mass of his earth armor being used to restrain his struggling foe.

The suspended musclebound monster struggled, his eyes locking onto the redhead. Slowly, he went slack, his eyes glowing a luminescent blue.

– **XX –**

Harry found himself in a land of destruction. Hot air scorched his skin as he rose to his feet, his hands sinking wrist deep into red mud. A shell of a city stood like a sketched outline against the pale red sky.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, he took in the dark orange orb, "Well I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore."

Pulling his foot free of the ground he took a step. Images rushed by him of a pale skinned man with a red diamond in the center of his forehead. Dark metal strips seem to make up some kind of formfitting armor.

Phantom pains flashed through his body as he stared into the man's eyes. There was a hunger there, not for food, or companionship, but for knowledge, an insatiable desire to know something.

He took another step more images rushed by, this time of a familiar red head. She was a little older, her green eyes a little colder, but it was definitely her, his aunt Jean.

He watched as a black seed entered her body, her green eyes changed to yellow her healthy pale skin became a metallic color and metal armor that was blue around the breast, hips, and stomach seemed to grow around her body.

He forced himself to take another step, this time putting up mental shields against the oncoming images, "This guy has to be from another world. The magical world may have been separated from the rest of the world, but I would've known of something like this happened. It's too big for someone not to have noticed."

Forcing his will, a white floor appeared beneath his feet, lifting him out of the dirt. With this change a hallway made of white walls grew up around him, gilded silver mirrors containing the images, or more likely memories lined either side of the passage before him.

Something's wrong, this guy should've had more of a defense against mental intrusion. I shouldn't be able to affect the world like this so easily. Stopping before a mirror with a green tinge to it, he placed his hands on the glass.

His body jerked as images conveying the history of this creature flashed through his mind.

The orange Hulk was created by the pale man, Mr. Sinister. As this information flowed through his mind, Mr. sinister came into view, his slick back dark hair reflecting the light of the tank. His muffled voice sounded from the other side of the glass.

"You my creation may actually get me out from underneath Apocalypse's thumb."

Harry's hands shook on the glass, the strain of the day catching up with him, but he needed more. Laying his hand flat against the glass, he pushed his will forward, sifting through later memories.

Hulk was fully grown within three years. Then Mr. Sinister sent him out against Apocalypse to carve out his own place in the world. He fought battle after battle, until one day a man in a golden helm appeared before him, blue outfit hugging his body, a golden cape billowing around him.

"Doctor Strange Fate," Harry murmured.

"You poor creature," The Doctor announced in his double layered voice.

Orange Hulk looked up; blood dripping from his large fist a growl reverberating in his throat. He took a step forward.

Strange fate raised his hands, "I mean you no harm."

Orange Hulk cocked his head to the side. He glanced around the muddied landscape, taking in the giant three eyed wolves that had been mutated by Apocalypse's energy. Shaking his head, he growled, taking another step forward.

Strange fate drifted forward, "You only know of fighting don't you, they never even taught you how to become your own person." Orange Hulk swung at him, but strange fate raised a hand, conjuring a golden outline around the creature that froze him in place.

"Don't worry my friend, I will help you." Reaching forward, he clamped his right hand on orange Hulk's head, his eyes shining like twin suns beneath his helm.

Golden energy exploded out from orange Hulk in waves, the shock of whatever was happening to him ejected Harry from his mind.

– **XX –**

Harry staggered backwards, his face pale, his eyes shifting from left to right as his brain sorted through the information. So, the orange Hulk was another one of Doctor strange fate's minions. It looks like he had been collecting useful talent from other worlds, but why? What was his end game, what was orange Hulk after?

A gunshot brought him out of his thoughts, Harry turned, just in time to see a thin metal projectile sliding between him and the Hulk.

It exploded releasing a blast of sound. Harry fell to his knees, hands clamped over his ears as darkness creeped in at the edges of his vision. As his vision shrank to pinpricks, a dark skinned bald man with an eyepatch dressed in dark clothes appeared in the distance.

Sweat poured down his face from the pain the sound was inducing, the very water and his body was vibrating.

He fell to the ground and darkness consumed him.

Nicholas Fury stepped down the bank, his Ebony dress shoes slipping in the river sand. He stared down at the redhead, taking in his high cheekbones and the dimple in his chin.

Maria sauntered up beside him, "What do you want us to do with him sir?"

Nicholas's gaze flicked over to the Orange Hulk before settling back on the redhead, "Take him up to headquarters, do a full workup and place him in one of the interrogation rooms."

Saluting stiffly, Maria turned barking out orders to other shield agents.


	14. Chapter 14

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 14**

Harry opened his eyes, finding himself staring at the smooth metal floor. He closed his eyes, trying to soothe away the ringing in his ears and the pounding in his head. Focusing on the knowledge he gained from the book of Asclepius, he pushed his energy into his ears and head, tension draining from his shoulders as the pain faded away.

Opening his eyes, he scanned his surroundings.

He was in a small room with smooth metal walls. Lights were mounted into recesses in the ceiling covered over by metal screens. A table made from smooth metal was bolted to the floor in the center of the room. Metal chairs sat on either side of the table, a thick chain attached to one leg.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Harry felt the weight around his neck for the first time. Raising a hand, his fingers glided across a metal collar.

Well that's useless, focusing a bit of will into the collar, it fell into metal dust. Wiping the dust from his shirt, he sat down in the chair interlacing his fingers.

He wanted more information about how the Orange Hulk came to our universe. Only his most powerful memories were available to him during their fight, maybe the people that captured him could shed some light on the situation.

His ice blue eyes flicked to a black half sphere mounted in the corner of the room, "I'm waiting."

– **XX –**

Maria Hill stood on the other side of Fury's desk in his office.

The office was a semi-large room with a large wraparound desk facing the only door. Red carpet covered the floor. The walls were lined with filing cabinets and bookshelves. In this digital age, Fury always felt more comfortable with paper, since paper couldn't be hacked.

What do you want to do sir? Maria asked after hearing the boy's statement.

Fury turned to stare out the large window that took up the wall behind his desk. A clear blue sky drifted by outside. "What did our scientists say about him?"

"His DNA is unlike anything we've ever seen before. It seems to still be changing. His brain waves operate in a way different from most of the telepaths or other psychics we've seen."

"What is the most known comparison?"

"Energy based beings."

Fury ran a hand over his bald head. Spinning around, his single Brown eye locked with Maria's lighter brown, "Go see if you can find out why he was there in that street and where the people in that SUV went."

"Any particular reason you want me to go sir, I mean I am second-in-command, there are other interrogators, ones that specialize in that field, sir."

One corner of fury's mouth curled upwards, "I thought that would've been obvious Hill, you are a beautiful woman, he's a teenage boy."

Hill's lips twisted in distaste, but she nodded, "I'll see what I can find out sir."

"I knew you would Lieutenant."

Turning on her heel, Maria strode towards the door.

"Oh and Hill."

Maria paused before the door, glancing over her shoulder, she waited.

Fury spoke, never taking his eyes off the computer screen sitting at the corner of his desk, "Just so you know I am activating the venom protocol, we don't need an unknown of unknown intent and power escaping until we know how to deal with him."

Again Maria nodded, tension settling between her shoulder blades.

The venom protocol was a protocol where a room of the facility, or the entire facility itself depending on the situation would be pumped with noxious gas that would kill anyone within seconds. In this situation, it would be interrogation room four, where their newest resident was being held.

"Yes sir."

– **XX –**

Harry looked up as the door to his room hissed open.

A woman in a grey formfitting bodysuit strode into the room, white holsters bouncing on her wide hips. A dagger poked out of a white sheath strapped to her mid-thigh, easily within arm's reach.

Placing a pale slender hand on the back of the chair directly in front of him, she pulled it out just enough to sit down. Light brown eyes scanned his figure. The light danced in her short dark hair. Bright red lips parted as she opened her mouth to speak.

Harry looked into her eyes, information flooding him from the passive probe joining them together. She was second-in-command of an organization titled Shield, Also known as, Strategic, Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.

"So Mr.," Maria began.

"You can call me Hadrian."

"Hadrian…?"

"Hadrian will do just fine for now, I don't think were close enough for me to give you my last name, Ms. Hill."

Maria started at the use of her last name. She hadn't given it when she entered the room. Interlacing her fingers in front of her, she leaned forward, following fury's directions by giving him a look at her cleavage down her jumpsuit, but the redhead didn't react, he kept his gaze firmly on her eyes.

Despite this, she pushed forward, "Why were you in the city?"

"I was helping some friends meet up with family."

"Friends?"

"They're not relative to this conversation."

"Mr. Hadrian, I don't think you realize how much trouble you're in."

"I think I do. A shadow organization abducts me after I stop an Orange monster."

Images of the orange Hulk surrounded by a ring of Shield agents flash through Maria's mind. The orange Hulk allowed the group to plant thick manacles around his muscled wrist.

' _Interesting, he surrendered, but why?'_

"That brings me to my next question, why did you intervene when the orange Hulk landed?"

"People were hurt, somewhere dead, children were afraid," Maria raised an eyebrow at that last statement, but Harry ignored it, "it seemed like the right thing to do."

"My question is how did the Hulk end up over a city in the first place?"

More images flashed through Maria's mind. This time of the orange Hulk busting out of the side of a large aircraft, papers of some kind clutched in his hands.

Interest piqued, Harry focused on the papers, shifting through her mind to see what she knew. Part of them were incomplete plans of some device, others were the location of an organization called AIM.

' _So the orange Hulk allowed himself to be captured to gain those schematics and the location of the AIM base. The question is how did he know they were here?'_

Maria shook her head, "That is what we're still trying to figure out. So if I understand you correctly, you helped because it was the right thing to do?"

"That's right."

"That's very noble of you."

"Not really, I've been in situations like that before. I wouldn't wish it on the innocent."

Harry leaned back in his chair, "Well as fun is this conversation has been Ms. Hill, I think it's time for me to go. Oh, and by the way is beautiful as you are, I'm not your typical teenager." Clapping his hands, the redhead disappeared in a flash of luminescent blue light.

"Sh…"

– **XX –**

Appearing in the center of the driveway, Harry swayed on the spot, his hands searching his body for any missing pieces. He released a breath when he found himself whole. He didn't know if it would work, using the Kinney's minds as an anchoring point for teleportation.

Stepping forward he took in his surroundings, he was in the center of a large plot of land. Trees and circled the land adding to its beauty, and also hiding what happened here from public view. A large Victorian-style mansion covered in white stone sat at the end of the driveway, casting its large shadow on the asphalt as he approached the front entrance.

A fountain set off to his left, the stone angel in its center held a bowl that overflowed and filled the pool below.

Curved double doors slammed inward.

People poured out, forming a semicircle around him.

Harry cocked his head to the side, wind sweeping through his crimson locks like fingers, well, this is an interesting welcome. He took in each member of the group.

The oddest of the group was a male with catlike features covered in dark blue fur. He stood at 5'11", his broad frame packed with muscle, his slitted yellow eyes looking at Harry with curiosity. His thick muscular arms were crossed over his chest, but Harry could make out the tips of claws poking beneath his arm.

A woman of African descent stood beside him, her long white hair adding to her exotic beauty as it trailed down her 5'11" frame. Unlike her furred companion who only wore spandex, she wore a black formfitting suit that hugged her curves. Her blue eyes stared at him as something with in her pulled at his control of the elements.

"How did you get here bub?"

This man was short and stocky. Hair covered his 5'3" frame. A flash of pronounced canines appeared every time he spoke. Dark mutton chops curved his jaw leading up to a large hairstyle that ended in triangular points on either side of his head. However, the oddest thing about him was the three metal claws protruding from his knuckles.

Harry inclined his head, "Mr. Howlett. Can I assume that Laura, and the rest the Kinney's have made it here safe?"

Howlett's nostrils flared as he inhaled, a faint spark of recognition appearing in his eyes, "I'll be asking the questions here! Now who are you?"

Releasing a breath, Harry reached out with his mind, only to find his telepathic ability being blocked. Not wanting to fight people who specialized in taking down powerful mutants unless he had to, he turned back to Howlett, "My name is Hadrian John Grey."

"Harry," a voice behind him whispered.

Harry's attention snapped to the last person in the group.

She was 5'6" with healthy pale skin framed by familiar red hair. Emerald eyes searched him, but her hands rested on the leg of her red and blue formfitting bodysuit.

Harry could instantly tell this was where the psychic block originated from. He took a step forward, the rest of the group around him tensing, but Jean's willowy frame stayed relaxed.

"It's good to finally meet you Aunt Jean. Although, I do wish it could have been under less suspicious circumstances."

Jean moved forward, defined muscle appearing beneath her suit, "As do I Harry. Where have you been, I looked for you after I received news of your mother's death, but I couldn't find you," she raised a hand, stopping just before she touched his face.

"Jean," the white haired beauty began, "Do you know this young man?"

Jean scanned the group, "I do Ororo, this is Hadrian John Grey, son of John grey Junior and Lily Evans Grey. He is my nephew."

The blue haired man spoke up next, "I wasn't aware you had another brother named John, Jean?"

"John's history is a bit different. He arrived in my backyard through a portal when he was eight years old. Ironically enough, it was the day Charles came to visit my parents. With his help, we were able to discern that John came from an alternate universe and that he was actually a male version of me."

"With no way to get him home, and since we were the same age my parents adopted him as my twin brother. Charles used his abilities to implant the right memories in the right people, and no one ever knew the difference."

"He actually came to the Institute for a while, but after graduating from college, he wanted to get away from America's persecution of mutants, so he moved to England," she glanced at Harry, "where he met Hadrian's mother."

Tears began to pool in her eyes, "We kept in contact throughout the years, his powers grew to rival mine. He was even picking up messages from the Phoenix before I was, but after meeting Lily, they moved to a magical quarter which hid him from the Phoenix."

A smile curled her lips and tears ran down her cheeks, "He contacted me when Hadrian was born. He told me about his boy who could use his powers straight out of the womb."

The group's eyebrows rose.

"Unfortunately before we could meet up again, he was murdered while working a case in London. I didn't have much contact with Hadrian after that," her gaze swept over her friends, the closest thing she had to family until now. "As you know around that time things kind of snowballed."

The group nodded.

Harry dabbed at the burning in his eyes. "Sounds like there's a story there."

Jean laughed lightly, but there was little humor in it. "That is for another time, right now we need to get you inside and check you over. The Kinney's mentioned you fought some kind of Orange Hulk."

"I'm…"

"I'll be the judge of that," Jean wrapped a hand around his.

They both froze, their eyes shining. Harry's a luminescent blue, Jean's a dark pink.

– **XX –**

Jean floated in a clear blue sky above a circular maze. Bronze automatons marched through the maze. A variety of different animals ran across the grassy landscape beyond it, while others paused at the rivers cutting through the land to drink. "Where am I?"

"You are in my mind, the question is why?"

Jean turned to find Harry floating towards her the hem of his light blue T-shirt flapping in a breeze that sent her hair dancing, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans, "Harry, this is your mind?"

"Yes."

When Harry was less than a foot away, a translucent green bubble surrounded them.

Eyes flashing a luminescent blue, Harry's power coalesced in his right hand. He drew his arm back, only for Jean to grab his wrist.

"Wait, this is your father's power."

Harry's eyes widened, the power coalescing around his hand fading away, "Dad's power?"

The sphere floated upwards, beyond the clear blue sky and into the darkness beyond. They stared down from high above at the streamers of power that represented Harry psychic and magical abilities. From within the rivers a red jewel that had always kept a portion of the energies apart floated forward, shifting into human form.

As it did, the psychic and magical energies merged together fully, and Harry felt his mind broaden, the ways of the forge he had learned from the book of Hephaestus were open to him, he could now sense the electrical impulses inside machines. It would be the easiest thing in the world to reach out and manipulate them.

The humanoid red jewel began to shift, becoming softer and taking on a rainbow of colors. Familiar features began to appear as flesh tones blossomed out of the humanoids face like miniature explosions.

Before long John Grey floated before them, his beige trench coat billowing in a nonexistent breeze, revealing the white button-down shirt hidden beneath.

His detectives shield stood out proudly from its place pinned to the belt of his jeans. He raised a hand, the Golden wedding ring on his finger twinkling in the starlight around them.

"Hello son, hello sister," he said, his green eyes twinkling.

"Dad? Is that really you?"

"John?" Jean asked her voice breaking.

"Yes, it's me, when you were born I placed a mental block on your power until you were mature enough to handle the full extent of your abilities. Unfortunately, I died before I could remove the block, luckily Jean has the same psychic signature I do, so when you touched her hand, her psychic energies remove the block." a smile showing white teeth spread across his face, "I have to say I may only be an imprint of the real John Grey, but I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become."

"How powerful am I that you had to place a block on me?"

"You will learn that shortly, I just hope it's enough for the troubles ahead."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, the world around them began to shimmer.


	15. Chapter 15

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 15**

When the world stopped spinning, Harry stood in a white room.

A large bed sat in the center of the room, his mother lay on it. Her feet were perched in iron stirrups. Sweat poured down her brow, sticking her dark hair to her face. A pant was cut off as a contraction hit, her muscles tensed, her stomach glowed a translucent blue.

A healer in white robes crouched at the end of the bed, golden crossed wands over his breast pocket signifying him as a Mediwizard, his baldhead gleamed in the bright lights floating above him.

He peeked out from under Lily's hospital gown pushing his dark rimmed glasses up on his nose, "You're doing great Mrs. Grey one more push and you can welcome your baby boy into the world."

Lily's face scrunched up, a scream ripping from her throat. Bright light filled the room as a baby's cries mingled with his mother's.

The doctor pushed back on his stool, the wheels gliding across the tile floor with these. He stared down at the baby made of light blue energy, tendrils of blue energy wafting off the child to drift over his shoulders, "Incredible," he breathed.

The memory froze.

"This was the happiest moment of my life," John grey said, reminding Harry that he was there. He moved beside his son, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his trench-coat, his emerald eyes locked on the image before him.

Harry's gaze flicked between the energy baby, and his own flesh and blood hands, "What happened to me?"

A touch of sadness filled John's eyes, "Your mother was the most powerful magic user in her world," he glanced at Jean, "that's right sis, I wasn't the only one to travel from another universe. The Grey bloodline produces and has produced psychics powerful enough to contain the Phoenix force, the universal force of creation."

"It is my theory, that the combination of these two bloodlines produced a child whose potential is virtually limitless."

Harry swallowed thickly, "If I was an energy baby, how did I end up like this?" He gestured to his body.

John stared into his sons eyes, "Are you sure you want to know? This next part isn't pretty."

Harry's gaze flicked from the scene of his birth, to his father, "I'm sure."

The memory resumed.

Lily stretched forth her hands, a tired smile on her face, "Let me hold my baby."

Of course, the Mediwizard rose to his feet, his knees popping. He took a step around the bed. On his second step, the baby began to scream its voice distorting into soundwaves that cracked the floor and rattled the room, sending shards of masonry raining down from the ceiling.

The Mediwizard staggered almost falling to his knees, the child in his arms glowing like a miniature sun.

"What's happening?" Lily exclaimed forced to raise an arm to shield her eyes.

The Mediwizard's legs finally gave way and he fell to his knees, "I have no idea."

John Grey stepped forward, his emerald eyes shining, "His body is losing its form outside your womb. He is a baby made up of pure Psionic and magical energy, without your body's energy to sustain him, he's losing form. If we don't do something soon, at best he will be trapped in the astral plane, at worst he will disperse into the ether, either way he will be out of our reach."

Lily looked at her husband, her light blue eyes filled with terror and pleading, "What do we do?"

"We have to teach him how to create a body; he needs a vessel at least until he has a strong enough sense of self to sustain his form."

The fear and pleading on Lilly's face disappeared, replaced with hard eyes full of determination. "Let's do this." Both parents froze, their eyes shining with an inner light.

The glow around the baby began to dim. However, as it did, the Mediwizard began to scream.

As the light dimmed, pieces of the doctor's body were pulled into the child, first forming a skeleton, then organs, then nerves, followed by muscle then a layer of fatty tissue and finally skin the doctor stop screaming after the skin appeared, almost his entire body pulled into the energy.

Red hair sprouted from the child's head as it drifted to the padded stool the Mediwizard had sat on, his first cry with corporeal lungs ringing through the room.

John Grey unfroze. Approaching his child, he gently scooped him up in his arms, bouncing him until he quieted down.

The scene froze again.

"We didn't know that by teaching you to constitute your own body we would be inadvertently killing the doctor," he shook his head, "I can't say that that would've changed our decision, but we would've probably taken other precautions."

"What was his name?" Harry asked, his mind reeling from what he learned. He was an energy baby, who killed a man so he could live.

"His name was Michael Hammond."

"What about his family."

"He didn't have one, we suspected your birth may be unique, with both your mother and I coming from different universes," he shook his head, "we never thought it would end up the way it did, but we still chose to use a doctor who specialized in keeping his mouth shut."

"You wouldn't know it by this memory, but you were actually born in an underground chamber built into the sewers beneath Saint Mungo's. Michael had it constructed so he could do his business, and get free supplies from the hospital above. That place was so heavily warded your mother couldn't find it, granted she was in labor at the time she was trying."

"How can you be okay with this?" Harry asked a note of irritation in his voice, "I killed a man so I could live and it doesn't bother you at all."

John drifted over towards his son, Harry jumped slightly as he placed a hand on his shoulder, marveling at how real it felt.

"It used to bother me, but I would rather have you here than face a world without you. Your mother felt the same," he glanced at the memory, "and it's not like we didn't learn from the experience, this is the exact reason I place the block on your abilities, so you wouldn't unintentionally disassemble someone."

A far-off look drifted across his face, "Granted I always thought I was going to be there to help you in your control of your abilities."

"What happened to you, in why don't you know if my full abilities will be enough?"

"Because orange Hulk and the woman in leather aren't the only people Doctor Strange Fate has recruited and augmented from other worlds, the man who killed me was an agent of Strange Fate."

Harry's hands curled into fists, his light blue eyes beginning to glow, "Who?"

"His name is Mount Joy. He had the ability to absorb other mutants to take on their abilities. He could also go inside their bodies and ride them like puppets, giving small subliminal messages that influence their actions. That was until Strange Fate got a hold of him, now he's a lot more dangerous."

Jean moved beside her nephew, "How do you know this?"

"Because, this part of me is still connected to the original John Grey or whatever is left of him inside of Mount Joy."

The memory around them began to fade.

– **XX –**

Harry stood in a warehouse. Steel beams crisscrossing overhead, boxing in the cone-shaped lights dangling from the ceiling creating shafts of circular light on the concrete floor. A metal door at the far end of the room burst open, bringing with it a splash of water from the rain outside.

Thunder rattled the room, highlighting John Gray's silhouette as he moved into the room, the shimmering barrier of Emerald energy dancing across his skin like armor.

His glowing green eyes took in the room, but it was too large to see everything. In a building the size of a football field, there were innumerable places to hide, especially when someone had power.

"I know you're here," John called.

Suddenly, a shaft of light shining from one of the cone-shaped lamps overhead bent into a 5'8" humanoid form. Within minutes, a man stood before him, his glowing red eyes a light with amusement and the thrill of the hunt.

Long caramel colored hair cascaded down broad shoulders.

The man moved forward, dipping his sharp chin down words, his hands resting casually in the pockets of his black blazer jacket. The one button at the waste was fastened, creating a V that revealed the blood colored shirt beneath.

"I have to say, he began," his words punctuated by perfect white teeth, "this little game of ours has been fun," he raised a hand to rub at the light beard covering his chin, "It's almost a shame to see it end."

John shifted, a translucent green dagger coalescing in his hand, "Why do this, why kill those mutants your own people?"

"I would've thought that would've been obvious, Mr. Grey."

John stiffened.

His opponent began to circle him, "That's right I know who you are. Oh but how rude of me, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Mount Joy, because each person I kill brings me a mountain of joy."

John's emerald gaze moved in time with Mount Joy's movements, tracking him, waiting for a time to strike, "You still haven't answered my question."

Mount Joy stopped in front of him leaning in close, "Like I said before I thought that would've been obvious, I kill those mutants for power," he almost hissed the last word.

John nodded. He was expecting the answer to be something like that

Joy shook his head, "It used to be so tedious, I would actually have to pull them inside me, the living minds struggling for dominance inside my own, but not anymore, my new benefactor has changed my power. Now I can take their abilities and skills, leaving all the pesky unwanted bits behind."

"New benefactor?"

"Nothing you need to worry about Mr. Grey, after all you'll know everything soon enough, what's left of you will become a part of me."

John took a step back, putting some distance between him and Joy in preparation for the fight.

"You know there was a time I had some of the most powerful mutants under my command," Joy rose into the air electricity wreathing his arms, "but since coming to this world I had to start my collection a new."

John rose into the air, his emerald green armor expanding into a sphere, "You are from another world?"

"Yes, Strange Fate does love to collect us from the most interesting and exotic places."

Joy exhaled, "Well enough about my current employer. It's time for the final round of our game."

Joy's eyes flashed, John zipped to the side as a wave of crimson energy shot from the red orbs. In a green blur, he circled around Joy stabbing his dagger forward, only for the spectral blade to be met with a wall of air.

Joy spun.

Releasing the blade, John concentrated, a pair of translucent emerald green angel wings grew from his back. With a single flap, he was pulled backwards, spectral feathers flying forward.

Again most of the feathers hit a wall of compressed air, but one made it through, nicking Joy's cheek.

Joy cried out, another wave of crimson energy blasting from his eyes like an ocean wave.

John flapped his wings circling around the wave then launched himself forward, a javelin of emerald energy coalescing around his right arm. Shadows stretched forth from the darkest corners of the warehouse, launching tentacles of darkness towards him.

John twisted and turned, gracefully slipping in between each tentacle. When he was less than a foot away from Joy, he launched his right arm forward, the tip of his javelin poised to Pierce Joy's heart.

A wave of crimson energy washed over John, freezing him in place. He fell to the floor like a statue, the snapping of his legs echoing throughout the warehouse, a muffled scream fought and failed to be pushed out of his frozen lips.

Mount Joy landed a few feet away, his gaze sweeping over John's mangled legs, taking in the piece of white bone poking out of the flesh.

"Ooh that looks painful," he strode forward, "don't worry you won't feel it much longer," he reached forward. "I have to say your skills with your abilities are impressive, they will make acquiring my other abilities much easier."

John stared at the approaching fingers, he knew what was about to happen. Mount Joy was about to take his powers and knowledge as his own. The horrors he would do with his abilities made him shudder.

An image of his wife and son flashed through his mind, what would Mount Joy do once he got those memories? Determination filled him he would not allow this monster to go after his family. He may not be able to move but he still had options.

Turning his powers inward, he carved out the part of his mind related to his powers and family, sending it through the connection he had with the block he had placed on his son.

The process was more painful than when he broke his legs, beads of sweat drenched his face when he was done. His thoughts felt sluggish, but a tired smile stretched across his face, one corner of his mouth drooped but he didn't care.

Mount Joy may get his powers, but he would not get his skill, he had sent them to someone, shredding the memories of the person in the process, he didn't remember why there was so important, but as long as they were safe, that was all that mattered.

Mount Joy grasped his head, emerald green light exploded from his eyes and mouth flowing into Mount Joy. Joy's eyes widened, shining with power as the energy flowed into him a wide smile stretching across his face only to fall into a frown a second later.

He let go of John's head, staring at the empty husk of a man, he slowly shook his head. "Clever, clever, creature, but you've only delayed the inevitable."

The memory froze, John Grey materialized beside Harry, his hands back in his trench-coat pockets. He slowly shook his head, "if I wouldn't have been so cocky, I could've maybe one that battle," he looked at Harry, "maybe I could've been there to help your mother with Shuma-Gorath," he stared into Harry's eyes, "for my absence in your life, I apologize."

"Your service as an officer of the law showed me what it meant to be a hero. It showed me what it meant to be part of something bigger. Don't ever apologize for that."

They stood there in silence for a moment. Then Harry couldn't take it anymore. He looked away from the frozen scene, "So what happens now?"

"I pass on my knowledge to you, unlock your full abilities, and go on to what comes next," a gentle smile spread across his face and a distant look came into his eyes, "Hopefully I'll see your mother again."

Harry opened his mouth. He wanted to tell his father he needed him, that he couldn't go, not after he had just gotten him back, but he closed it. Did he really want his father trapped here in his mind? No, his father had been through enough. It was time for him to find peace.

John nodded slowly, "I'll miss you too my son, but remember you're not alone, you have your aunt Jean, the X-Men, the Kinney's, and so many more people you made a connection with throughout your life."

Reaching forth a hand John placed it on his son's forehead, and green light flooded every corner of Harry's mind, slowly, it began to fade, "Always remember my son how much your mother and I love you."

– **XX –**

Ororo, Logan, and Beast stared at the frozen duo, pink and pale blue energy mingling together around them.

"What do we do?" Ororo asked her pale blue eyes full of concern as she gazed upon her friend.

Beast cautiously moved forward, his body arched as he walked on his toes with a cats grace. He stretched forth the blue fur covered hand only for the aura around the two to flare and gently push him backwards.

He locked a yellow eye on Logan and Ororo, "Well that settles that. If we try to force our way in, the combined energy will throw us out. All we can do is wait on whatever's happening to finish."

Logan grunted while picking at his teeth with one of the three foot long claws protruding from his knuckles, "And how long do you think that will…"

He was cut off as a green glow coalesced around Harry's head. It slowly spread through his body, lighting up every vein and nerve.

Beast cocked his head to the side, "Interesting, that's not Hadrian's or Jean's power. Another, perhaps," he tapped his furred chin in thought.

With a small implosion of power that washed away from the two Greys in a white wave, Hadrian and Jean unfroze both swaying slightly on their feet.

"Jean," Ororo said closing the distance between them, "Are you alright?"

Jean looked at her with watery eyes, "I'm fine. I've just learned some unpleasant things about my brother's fate."

Harry straightened up, the aura radiating off his body making the hairs on those around him stand on end, "If you don't mind and Jean, I'm going to go for a bit of a walk." Without waiting for an answer, Harry turned and strode in a random direction his mind swimming with what he had just learned.

– **XX –**

Harry stood before a small pond behind the Xavier state staring at the shimmering water in the midday sun. The scent of roses, lilacs, and daffodils wafted through the air from the garden at his back, but he didn't notice the beauty around him.

According to the ancient one someone had been weakening the walls of reality, which caused Shuma-Gorath to break through and ultimately led to his mother's death.

Doctor Strange Fate has been pulling people from alternate worlds, inadvertently allowing his parents to meet by weakening the barriers in reality and allowing them to fall through the cracks.

How long had he been doing this, how many more people did he have working for him. His hand curled into a fist, the sky darkened around him and thunder rolled, a flash of lightning turned the water of the pond a luminescent blue.

He didn't know the answer to these questions, but he would find out. He was going to find Mount Joy, and make him pay for killing his father.

A silhouette of Mount Joy rose out of the center of the pond hardening into an ice statue. With a boom of thunder lightning jutted down from the sky, blowing it into pieces. The pieces froze in midair, each outlined by light blue energy.

"You've got nice control for someone who just got there full powers unlocked."

"Hello Mr. Howlett, or do you prefer Logan."

"Logan or Wolverine is fine."

The stocky Canadian stopped beside him, shoving a cigar in the corner of his mouth, "Your Aunt Jean told us what happened to your father. I take it by your little display here. You're planning to go for revenge."

"Not just revenge answers, this Doctor Strange Fate has caused a lot of damage, I want to know why."

"Fair enough, but before you go off and potentially get yourself killed, let the X-Men show you a thing or two."

"I've been trained before."

"Monks and magic won't be enough."

Harry stood there, images of all the times he had been knocked unconscious during his battles with the facility and afterwards flooding to the forefront of his mind. He glanced at the spiky haired Canadian, "Why are you doing this?"

Logan pinched the cigar between two fingers, letting it dangle near his leg he turned to face Harry, staring him right in the eye, and in that moment the nearly one foot in height difference didn't matter. This man had a presence about him that demanded attention and respect.

"I owe you one for bringing Laura here safe, but besides that your Jean's family," he shook his head, "no matter how weird your origins may be. Your aunt doesn't have much family left, I would hate to see her lose more, so what do you say," he stretched forth his hand, "you interested."

Harry stood there. He had seen what his father was capable of when using his powers and Mount Joy still defeated him. With the way he had struggled in his past battles he needed an edge, maybe these people could help him.

He grasped Logan's hand shaking it in a firm grip, "Alright Wolverine let's do this."


	16. Chapter 16

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 16**

Harry followed his Aunt Jean down a beige hallway decorated with paintings of landscapes. His bare feet slapped against hardwood floors.

Yesterday, his aunt had given him a room at the Institute for the duration of his training and beyond if he so chose, but he could barely remember where it was, his mind consumed with what he had learned.

His father was murdered by a serial killer, a serial killer working for Doctor strange fate, the man behind the holes in reality. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, wanting to stick his hands in his pockets, but even though he hadn't trained with the Wolverine yet. James Howlett a.k.a. Logan a.k.a. Wolverine had chastised him about not leaving his hands free, so he worked on breaking his old habit.

Stopping before a set of smooth metal doors, cool air ruffled the edges of his black T-shirt with the X-Men X over the heart. Raising a hand he ran a hand through his hair, "So where are we going Aunt Jean?"

The metal doors slid open and Jean entered the elevator, leaning against the railing that line the center of the inside, "I know you have powers similar to my own, so I want to see if I can teach you the more advanced applications. I don't typically use these in a fight, since the X-Men don't like killing, but since you're going up against a serial killer, I figure all bets are off."

Entering the elevator, Harry leaned beside his aunt, "So if the X-Men are against killing, why show me a new application of my powers that can kill?"

Jean laid a hand on his arm, her slender fingers curling to squeeze his bicep, "I've already lost so much family," she stared into his light blue eyes, "I don't want to lose anymore."

Her lips formed into a thin line, her eyes transforming into chips of emerald, "Mount Joy killed John for power," her fingernails began to dig into Hadrian's arm, but he ignored it, "he treated it like a sport like it was just a game."

"What concerns me most is this Doctor Strange Fate; he is powerful enough to pull people from other realities." She released Harry's arm, moving two steps away, "we'll worry about him once we have Mount joy, remember when you fight him. Make sure to get the information from his mind before killing him."

Jean shook her head, wiping her eyes with a curled finger, "Enough about that. You said you could sense the electrical impulses in machines," she turned to face the elevator panel, "see if you can tell the elevator to go down with your mind. Do not force it down with your power, manipulate the electrical signals."

Harry looked at her, a dark crimson eyebrow arching.

"In a fight, any one of your abilities could become lifesaving."

Nodding, Harry reached out with his mind. The moment his power passed through the panel, he could sense the electricity flowing through the wires. Stepping back a moment, he observed the wires path.

Once he was sure he understood the path of the wires, he produced a signal in his own mind that would tell the elevator to go down. Pushing that signal out, a burst of blue energy traveled down a wire. With a jerk, the elevator began going upwards.

"Sorry," he mumbled moving the small orbs of light over to another section of wire. With a stop and start motion, the elevator began going down.

Jean nodded, a soft smile spreading across her face, "Good, now all we need to do is work on your speed of telling machines what to do." One corner of her mouth curled, "but next time be careful not to send us up, your power is psychic in nature, which means machines will do what you tell them whether it's possible or not, we almost went airborne."

– **XX –**

The elevator stopped and the two Grays emerged into a hallway made of sleek metal. Tubular lights ran across the ceiling, lighting the hallways and leaving their reflections in the metal.

As they glided across the dark blue tiles covering the floor, Harry focused on his Aunt's back. "Where are we?"

Jean spun on her heel, her red hair flying around her as she started to walk backwards, "This is where we really train our students to master their abilities." She crossed her arms over her Violet T-shirt, "I mean we can't really train them above ground where anyone can see now can we?"

"I suppose not," he let his eyes scan her form, taking in the khaki pants and the dark Brown slip on shoes, "but if we're training, why are you wearing that?" He gestured to her clothes.

Jean turned and continued walking down the hallway, "Today we're not going to be doing anything too strenuous I just want to gauge your abilities."

Stopping beside a blank metal door, it hissed open, revealing stark white walls.

The heavy scent of antiseptic hung in the air around them. Shelves line the walls holding elevated wedges that showed off gleaming medical equipment.

Harry's eyes settled on a metal table in the center of the room with a white sheep draped across it dangling over the edges.

Jean flicked her eyes to the sheet, causing it to rise into the air, revealing what lay beneath.

On the table was a body the left half was blackened. A bloody wound sat in the center of his chest, and the left arm as well as both legs were missing.

Harry glanced at his aunt, "What exactly is it you want me to do here?"

"Hank procured the video of your battle with the orange Hulk. I want to see if you can restore this man to pristine condition, without having an image of what he look like before. According to Hank, your psychic abilities boost your magic allowing you to exert your will upon the world."

Raising his shoulders, Harry moved forward to stand beside the table. Placing his hands above the body, he forced his will outward.

A translucent blue dome appeared over the corpse.

Deciding to take care of the easiest injury first, Harry focused on the gash in the center of his chest. Using the knowledge of Asclepius, he pictured what the body was supposed to look like in its normal condition overlaying the image of an unbroken chest onto the man's body in his mind.

Particles of blue light began to rain down from the dome and flow inside the gash. In his mind Harry witnessed bone knitting back together. Nerves soon followed then muscle. After that was a layer of fatty tissue and then skin.

Blinking Harry realized he had been so focused on his work he entered an almost trancelike state. Eyeing the spot where the gash was, a smile stretched across his face when what he saw was a patch of smooth unbroken skin.

Shaking his head, he repeated the process on the bodies other injuries. Within the hour, a man about 5'8" tall with short brown hair, a stocky build, and a rather hairy body lay on the table.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Harry turned away from the glassy green eyes staring up at the ceiling, "There, it's done. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the soul."

Jean smiled, "That's fine. This was just a test so I can examine how your powers work. It appears that your magic boost your psychic abilities allowing you to alter reality within a certain range, while your psychic abilities give you more finite control over your magic," she shook her head, "I've never seen mutant abilities work so in tandem with one another."

"Over the next few weeks, we will be working on manipulating technology, telepathy, matter manipulation, intuitive aptitude, and Psionic constructs. All of these things should help you with your finite control and to understand your abilities on a deeper level."

She moved forward, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "But I believe we're done for the day. You need to rest. Tomorrow Ororo is going to test your elemental control." She reminded him guiding him out of the room.

– **XX –**

The next day, Harry followed the mocha skinned beauty that was Ororo Munro across the Institute grounds.

Her white braided hair lay across one shoulder. The loose silk she was wearing danced with each movement and her bare feet glided across the grass with a dancer's grace. She stopped in the center of a maze of flowers, plopping into a cross-legged position with the ease of long practice.

Harry mimicked her position, his muscles and tendons protesting.

Ororo glanced at him as he finally settled in position, a pale white eyebrow arched. "That is something else we will work on, a fighter must be limber."

Harry inclined his head, resting his hands on the knees of his sweatpants. Breathing in deep, he savored the scent of the flowers around letting their fragrance wash away his other thoughts. Bird's song drained the tension from his shoulders with each note.

"You seem to have a connection with nature?" Ororo began bringing him back to reality.

Harry opened his eyes, "I learned to manipulate the elements from Borealis, Triton, and Hephaestus."

"Good, that means you have an idea of the consequences of manipulating Mother Nature. Whenever you manipulate the elements, you're pulling that rain, that wind, or whatever element you are commanding from somewhere else. That causes an imbalance with nature, granted with your abilities, the mystical nature of your power may give you some leeway, but I wanted to make sure you understood how everything on earth is connected."

Harry shifted the muscles in his back growing tired, "That makes sense. So what are you going to be teaching me?"

"If you want to learn about the elements, you must meditate and feel them, see how they interact with one another see the consequences of their destructive power."

Part of him wanted to tell her, that he had already done this. However, if the rumors of her power were true then maybe she knew something he didn't.

Breathing out, Harry closed his eyes, shifting to try to ease the burning in his lower back.

For a moment, he just focused on his breathing as if it was the only thing in the world. When all he could hear was his breathing, he let his power expand outwards.

Almost immediately, something from the earth itself reached up and snatched his power pulling his consciousness somewhere else.

– **XX –**

Harry opened his eyes to the feeling of soft grass beneath his feet. Bushes eight feet high stretched out before him, different colored flowers were woven into the walls forming a colorful tapestry of humanity's past.

As he looked at the pictures, colorful dinosaurs marched across a jungle landscape, their mouths moving in silent roars.

He raised a hand, noticing for the first time it was made out of blue energy. Looking down at himself, he realized his body looked the same, but was made out of the mixture of light blue Psionic and mystical energy his powers were made up of.

"What happened to me? Where am I?"

A melodious voice floated to him on a rose scented breeze, "Follow the path little traveler, and everything will be explained."

Despite his reservations, Harry continued to move through the bushy maze, the murals made of flower petals changing from dinosaurs roaming the jungle landscape, to cavemen in furs tromping across a snow-covered plane.

Eventually, the bushes gave way to a forest of fruit trees everything from apples to bananas decorated the leafy canopy above him. Grapes drooped down from vines snaking between trees. Bluebirds flitted from tree to tree, their chipper song washing away his reservations.

Squirrels chattered as they sprang up the sporadic pecan trees in the forest of fruit.

Lost in the animal song and the beauty around him, Harry didn't know how long he walked, but eventually the forest gave way to a clearing.

A waterfall that spilled into a lake sat at the far end its crystal clear water glittering in the sun bathing the clearing. Lions, zebras, and a Sabretooth Tiger formed a semicircle around the large body of water. They turned to look at him as he entered the clearing, but after a moment returned to their drinking.

He shook his head at the sight, "Am I even on earth anymore?"

"Of course you are dear," Came the same melodious voice, "you have just entered my realm."

Harry jumped slightly at the voice, but for some reason he didn't feel that it was a threat to him, "Who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me."

A green flash burst to life in front of him. When it cleared, a woman stood before him.

She was 6'5" tall. Long Brown hair framed a beautiful face two curls rested on her shoulders. Dark lips the color of plums twisted in a gentle smile, earthy brown eyes regarded him with curiosity.

Dark green silks wrapped around her chest and waist kept her modesty. Smooth grey rocks and circled her wrist and waist like jewelry.

Harry stood there, his mouth agape. The woman was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, but it was the power radiating off her that took his breath away. Within her, he could sense the elements alive and twisting.

He didn't know what all she could do, but in this moment, Harry knew that if he said the wrong thing, she could destroy him utterly.

He swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry, "Gaia, I presume?"

The woman cocked her head to the side, a smile stretched across her face, revealing pure white teeth that glittered like diamonds, "Smart boy, most people get me confused with my granddaughter, Demeter."

Harry shook his head, "Demeter couldn't command the variety of animals that you have here."

Gaia inclined her head, her eyes staring at him intently, "True."

Suddenly her arm shot forward before yanking backwards.

A pulling sensation caused Harry's back to arch as to beams of energy shot from his body.

He fell to his knees, watching wide-eyed as the energy from his body coalesced into another two women.

The first was equally as tall as Gaia. Black hair framed a slightly paler face. Green eyes burned like two stars in the night sky. A black dress covered her front, showing off her curves. Slender fingers crawled with energy and she looked around her eyes locking on Gaia.

Tension drained from her shoulders. She inclined her head to the woman, "Gaia."

Gaia nodded back, "Gaia of earth three, it's a pleasure."

"For the sake of the mortal, call me Earth Mother."

A gentle throat clearing caused the two to turn.

Standing to Gaia's right was another woman.

Her blue eyes sparkled like the clearest ocean. Her blonde hair was twisted into an ornate knot at the back of her head. Seashells adorned her wrists and neck. A light blue silk top covered her breasts showing off her toned tan stomach. Loose silk pants covered a narrow waist and leather sandals adorned her feet.

Her voice was soft like an ocean breeze, "You can call me Mother Nature."

Harry rose to his feet debating on whether calling on his power would be seen as an act of aggression. "What is going on? Why am I here?" He gestured to the two other women, "And who are they?"

Gaia turned to him, "These women are me, Gaias from the Earth's your parents originated on. Every human on earth carries a bit of me inside them. They eat my creations breathe my air. That means elements from Earth or absorbed into their bodies, which they pass on to their children."

A throne of intertwining vines rose up behind Gaia. She lowered herself down with grace, gently crossing one leg over the other.

Earth Mother and Mother Nature took the cues from her. Mother Nature lowered herself into a throne made of sand and adorned with seashells. Earth mother lowered herself into one of polished obsidian.

Once they were seated, Gaia continued, "I originally pulled you here to talk to you about strange fate. He is meddling on my world, his agents causing in balance in nature, I want you to put an end to it. That was my original purpose for pulling you here, but once I saw the bits of two different versions of myself in you, I became curious and pulled them here."

She turned to Earth Mother, "Tell me how our worlds differ."

Earth Mother through her hair over her shoulder, her green eyes glancing at Harry, "On my world, villains rule, hence my darker demeanor," her eyes settled on Harry. "I have to say, it is strange to see a remnant of a previous incarnation."

Gaia cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Events have happened to rewrite the history of my universe, certain events never happen and people that were dead are now alive again."

Harry stepped forward, "you mean my mother is alive."

"A version of her yes."

"Events happened to erase the crisis on infinite earth event, unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it by the time the event was corrected your mother had already fallen through a dimensional tear."

Mother Earth and Gaia turned to Mother Nature, "What about you Gaia of earth 80827. What is the history of your world?"

Mother Nature glanced down at her shining fingernails. Before looking at all of them and speaking in the same soft voice.

"Modern civilization on my world is younger. America doesn't exist. France, Britain, and Atlantis are the major superpowers. Mutations showed up earlier on my world so we have some of your modern amenities, but sanctions imposed by Atlantis prevent any weapons of modern warfare from being developed in exchange for free hydroelectric power."

She focused on her counterparts. "This leaves my world cleaner than yours. After seeing your memories, I believe I will help Atlantis stay in power a bit longer."

She turned back to Harry, "Unfortunately there was no he rose to save your father, he nor summer Scott exist in my world, they disappeared, and their disappearances are still felt by their family and friends. Stop this Doctor strange fate young Grey, I would not have any more of my children stolen from me."

Gaia looked at her counterparts together, they nodded, "To that end, I will teach you how to manipulate the elements in ways you've never thought of and provide help when your final battle comes. My planet has been through enough," her hands tightened on the interwoven vines that made up the arms of her chair crushing them. "I would not have it destroyed again."

Before Harry could say anything, a sharp vine rose up from the ground stabbing into the base of his skull. His back arched, his mouth opened in a silent scream as green energy filled his eyes.

– **XX –**

Harry opened his eyes, finding the sun had set and the moon was a sliver of white in the sky.

Ororo floated above the ground, her eyes shut her silks hugging her frame. Slowly, she opened her eyes and they seemed to glow in the darkness, "Are you alright Hadrian? I didn't expect the meditation to take this long."

Knowing she was supposed to teach him, Harry told her what went on with Gaia.

Ororo drifted to the ground as he finished, "Well if the earth mother taught you the elements, there's not much more I can show you, so we will be working on using the elements in combat over the next month."

"I thought you said commanding the elements came with a responsibility not to damage the natural flow of nature."

Ororo's pale pink lips split in a smile, "I'm glad you were listening. During our lessons, I will be drawing power from natural disasters that happen around the world." She rose to her feet, "Now, I believe it's well past time for bed, after all you have a lesson with Logan in the morning, and he is not known for being gentle."

Harry followed her example, bowing at the waste once he was fully up, "Thank you for taking the time to train me Whether Goddess."

Ororo raised a pale eyebrow, and a smile split Harry's face, "You are well known Whether Goddess, even in the Tibetan mountains."

– **XX –**

Harry blocked his yawn with his fist, while gazing around the football sized dome made of metal squares deep beneath the Xavier Institute. He eyed the observation room set into the wall ten feet above the floor at the far end of the room. The glass was made of the same material as a two-way mirror, but from what he had heard a mutant named Forge ran the simulations.

According to rumors, the man had an innate aptitude for technology. He would have to talk to him over the next month to see if he could help him with his own technological manipulation abilities.

A thick metal door to Harry's left split in half and hissed into its recesses.

Logan stepped into the room, wearing the same white T-shirt with a yellow X in a circle over his heart, and dark blue loose-fitting pants that Harry did.

Taking a position across from Harry, the Canadian crossed his hairy muscular arms over his chest, "Alright kid today you're just going to be showing me what you can do. Over the next month, will work on where you need improvement."

Harry inclined his head, "That's fine, but why is everyone giving me aim month deadline?"

Logan took two steps back, "This Strange Fate seems to be preparing for something. A month is the minimum time needed to turn you into a proper x-Man,"

"Now," he slid one foot forward. "The rules are simple, only use your abilities to boost your body. Any other powers are not allowed for now, let's begin."

Logan lunged forward, his claws emerging from his knuckles in the blink of an eye.

Harry flooded his body with power, the world slowed down around him as his eyes took on a luminescent blue glow. He took a step forward, the world blurred around him. When it stopped, he was behind the Canadian.

He stared down at his hands. This had been the first time he actively used his abilities since his awakening, is this what is true potential was like?

Time resumed and Logan landed on the floor in a crouch.

Keeping low to the ground, he spun his lower body, trying to sweep Harry's legs out from under him.

Harry jumped the leg, but Logan launched himself upwards, slamming both fist into Harry's chest.

He stumbled backwards, his hands feeling his chest for puncture wounds. Finding none, he danced forward, launching a kick at Logan's chin.

Logan rolled backwards, the tips of Harry's toes skimming his shirt.

Harry pressed his advantage as Logan rose to his feet jabbing punches and kicks at the man's body. Logan staggered from a punch to the chest, lurching sideways from a kick to the ribs.

He launched a punch at Harry's head.

Harry raised an arm, but was just a second too slow. The Canadians fist brushed his arm as it slammed into his jaw snapping his head sideways.

Dazed Harry stumbled and this time it was Logan that capitalized on the moment of weakness.

A punch to the ribs sent him lurching in the opposite direction, Logan closed the distance, hammering either side of his ribs.

Blood exploded out of Harry's mouth, splattering on Logan's T-shirt. Snarling, he launched a palm strike forward, his hand outlined in luminescent blue energy. It slammed into Logan's chest, sending him flying into the far wall.

The metal gave under the impact, settling him in a small indention.

Logan looked up from the wall, blue energy snaking its way around Harry's body vanishing his injuries. Pushing himself out of the wall, he landed with his knees bent. Slowly, his claws emerged from his knuckles. With a low chuckle, he sprinted forward, the world blurring around him.

Leaving an outline of blue energy around his body, Harry went to meet him.

Logan swiped with his claws, only for Harry to catch his wrist.

Harry twisted his body as the Canadian stab forward with his other hand, one claw slicing his T-shirt, leaving a thin trail of blood behind.

It was in that moment, Harry realized he was stuck. With his body contorted at an angle, he couldn't stop Logan's other hand, and there was too much weight on his feet for him to counter with a kick.

Logan sheathed his claws, "Alright, that's enough for today. You have a good basis. We'll just have to work on your awareness during the fight."

Harry plopped to the floor, running a hand through his sweat drenched hair. It was going to be a long month. He just hoped he had that long to prepare.


	17. Chapter 17

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 17**

Harry stood in the center of the danger room, the black T-shirt over his frame curving around the new muscles he had acquired over the past month. Icy blue eyes flicked to his trainers that formed a triangle around him.

To his left was Ororo Munro, the mocha skinned beauty wore a skintight leather body suit, the golden zipper halfway down her chest showing off some cleavage. Her long white hair cascaded down her back. Her usual blue eyes were now a pale white as she prepared for battle.

To his right stood his Aunt Jean her dark red hair tied in a ponytail, a blue and red bodysuit hugging her like a second skin. Pale fingers flexed at the ends of the fingerless gloves as she rose just an inch above the ground in preparation for his final test, her eyes taking on the barest hint of a glow.

Logan stood at his back, his hairy muscular arms splayed out, three metal claws emerging from each of his fist. His thick chest covered in a blanket of black hair rose and fell, one corner of his mouth rippled, showing off a pronounced canine, "Begin."

Harry's body shifted. Over the past four weeks he had learned how to shift his body into its magical Psionic form. His body transformed becoming made of luminescent blue energy. His eyes burned like stars as he stared at his opponents.

Jumping forward, he thrust a glowing blue hand out fingers splayed.

A portal opened behind Ororo, showing off the vast African plains. With a little push she was through. It snapped shut and instant later.

He spun at Logan's roar, the hairy Canadian falling down from above, his claws poised to stab into his chest. He raised his hands, only for a pink blast from his aunt to send him rolling across the metal tiles that covered the floor.

He slammed into one of the metal squares that made up the domed walls of the danger room denting it.

Shaking his head he climbed to his feet, thanking whatever deity existed that he didn't feel pain from physical blows. His gaze flicked between his crimson haired aunt and the narrowed eyed Logan.

Logan was only dangerous if you were in reach of his claws, at least for the moment. His aunt had to be his next target, but how to neutralize her.

Logan charged his arm drawn back, his three claws shining.

Catching Logan's arm as he drove it forward, Harry spun on his heels, slinging the claw wielding Canadian towards his aunt.

As Jean froze Logan in midair, Harry phased into the floor, becoming one with the bedrock beneath the school.

– **XX –**

Jean thrust her hand forward her eyes glowing a luminescent pink. A pink outline surrounded Logan stopping his momentum and gently lowering him to the floor. She looked around her, her mind expanding outwards to search the room and beyond. Her bright red lips curled upwards when she didn't find her nephew.

Over the last month, Harry had been able to give her something she missed out on with her own children, Charles Nathaniel Summers, Nate Grey, and Rachel Summers. She loved all of her children, but she was only able to raise Charles, the others having been raised by Mr. Sinister and an alternate version of her.

Even with Charles, she didn't get to pass on her skills as a telepath or a telekinetic. Harry had been able to give her those teaching moments she missed out on with her own children.

The sound of screeching metal snapped her out of her thoughts. A tear appeared in the middle of the danger room as the thick metal pried itself apart. Earth poured through the gap, forming into a large 10 foot tall humanoid skeleton made of tightly compressed earth.

Bits of rock floated up coding the skeleton, before more soil floated over the rock.

With a roar, Logan charged forward, he leapt into the air, only for metal plates to peel off the walls and crash into him. They carried him high into the air before slamming him into the ceiling and fusing with the plates mounted there.

Logan thrashed against his bonds, his muscles straining, but the luminescent blue glow around the metal told Jean they were being reinforced by Harry's will.

Willing a bubble of Psionic energy around her, she peered out at the world through her shell of Psionic power, watching through a pink tent as the earth took the form of a golem. Plants began to grow over the stone body, and within moments she was looking at a humanoid man made of what look like Moss.

Jean floated down, "It's going to take more than a Moss man to beat me, Harry."

The Moss man said nothing. It just lunged forward, launching a fuzzy fist at Jean's barrier. The fist slammed into the barrier with enough force that it pushed Jean backwards.

Jean flared her power. Psionic energy rippled in waves. In the blink of an eye, the psychic waves slammed into the outstretched appendage. The arm exploded, sending bits of greenery in every direction.

– **XX –**

Harry sat cross-legged deep beneath the earth in a double layered bubble of translucent blue Psionic energy. His face scrunched up as the limb of his moss creature exploded. In his mind's eye he could see the entire danger room. He looked down on it from above, like some omnipotent being.

Logan struggled against the metal and power that held him in place, but that was barely a pressure on his mind. He surveyed the bits of Moss scattered around the room.

With his aunt's reaction, there was not a spot in the room that didn't have at least a little of his moss.

Her voice echoed in his ears, "It's going to take more than a Moss man to beat me, Harry."

Reaching out with his mind, he changed the moss ever so slightly.

Once that was done, he reached out his will, coating every opening in the danger room in a thin layer of Psionic power. With the stage set, he turned his full attention to his moss creature, letting a bigger part of his consciousness seep into it.

The double layer Psionic bubble that hid him from his aunt psychic probes flared at the shift in power.

– **XX –**

Jean tensed as a large amount of Psionic energy suddenly flowed into the moss creature. Vines sprouted to replace the arm she'd blown off. Nail like thorns sprouted all over the vines glistening with some type of liquid.

Two orbs of luminescent blue light shone in the creatures head.

"So, you finally decided to become an active participant in this fight."

Jean forced her will outward, Psionic spikes emerged from her bubble.

The moss creature jumped back, green sloughing off its frame. Landing on the ground, it raised its left arm, the appendage morphing into a wooden shield. Thrusting its thorny right arm forward, the vines spiraled, transforming into a javelin.

It sprinted to the left, more moss falling off its frame. Circling around the redhead, the creature thrust its javelin arm forward.

Jean raised her free hand, pink Psionic tendrils flashing into existence and snaking their way around the appendage. With a twist of her wrist, the tendrils squeezed, shattering the javelin.

White pollen mushroomed into the air as the javelin exploded, hanging there like dust mites.

"Jean!" Logan yelled in warning from his spot pinned to the ceiling.

With a thought, the powder froze, glowing pink as it was held in place by her power. However, something was wrong. She was breathing heavy, her movements were slow, and her thoughts were sluggish. Before she knew it, her eyes were drifting closed.

– **XX –**

Jean's eyes snapped open. She sat up, the soft cushion beneath her giving under her hand. She was in one of the mansions sitting rooms, a wall of windows letting in lots of midday sun. She leaned against the curved back of the antique couch, her head heavy and full of fog.

"What happened?"

Logan's gruff voice answered from a wicker chair off to her left. A cigar pinched between his teeth and a beer in his hand, "The kid outsmarted us. He pinned me to the ceiling, teleported Ororo as far away as he could without putting her in the Arctic, and put you to sleep."

Ororo spoke up, her white hair shining like strands of moonlight in the sun, "I have to say it was nice to see my village again."

Harry pushed off the wall, "I'm just glad it worked, I thought about Siberia, but then thought that would just be a dick move, so I went with the familiar but far enough away to where you wouldn't be able to interfere in the battle," he glanced at her, "I mean you never did tell me exactly what your range was?"

Ororo leaned forward one hand resting on the arm of her chair, the other one reaching for a porcelain cup on the coffee table in front of her, a single blue eye locked on him, "I didn't did I."

Wrapping a finger around the handle of the cup, she lifted it off the saucer. Leaning back, she brought the cup with her, cupping it in her hands and enjoying the drink without ever answering his question.

"So," Jean began eyeing her nephew, "how exactly did you put me to sleep?"

"I changed the moss covering my golem so that it degraded fast. When it broke down, it would release nitrous oxide. The real trick was making sure you didn't realize what I was doing, so I had some clumps of the moss release a flowery scent."

"Even then, Logan almost caught me at the end."

Jean glanced at the Canadian, "I thought you were warning me about the pollen."

Logan took a pull from his beer, "I think that was the point."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Jean rose to her feet, "So, what are you going to do now."

Harry shoved one hand into a pocket, glancing at Logan, but the Canadian was focused on his aunt. "I was hoping I could use Cerebro to find Mount Joy."

"I don't think that would be a problem," Ororo replied, "but I still wish you would let one of us come with you on your quest, I don't like the idea of you going alone."

"He won't be going alone."

Laura strode into the room over the last month, she had filled out. Leather pants hugged her shapely legs. A black tank top hugged her frame, showing off muscular arms and just a hint of cleavage.

She stopped beside Jean, her light blue eyes resting on her father, "Harry got us here safely. One of us needs to repay the favor by going with him to finish this quest he is on."

Harry closed the distance between them staring into her eyes, "You don't have to, you've been on enough missions for a lifetime."

Laura raised her shoulders the ponytail draped over it shifting slightly, "School life isn't for me. I need some action. I'm getting a bit antsy just spending all my time here."

Harry inclined his head, "I don't have a problem with you going, if they don't," he jerked his head at the others in the room.

Logan pulled the cigar from between his teeth, "I understand the need to get some air. Just watch each other's backs and I'm fine with it."

Jean leaned forward, her green eyes full of concern, her red hair falling to frame her face, "I still don't like the two of you doing this alone."

Harry stood shoulder to shoulder with Laura, "Each X-Man goes on an adventure that changes their lives. This one is ours. Strange Fate was somehow involved in the facility that created Laura. He brought my parents together and then took them away. I need to put him down so I can put this part of my life behind me."

Harry turned to Laura, "Pack the things you need, tomorrow we look for Mount Joy."

With a stiff nod Laura turned to leave the room.

"Wait, one more thing I haven't seen your family over the last month how are they doing?"

"Mom is helping Hank McCoy devise new ways to help young mutants control their abilities, aunt Deborah has gotten a job at a dentist office nearby, and Megan is interning at The Daily Bugle."

Tension drained from Harry's shoulders, he hadn't meant to forget about the Kinney's, but once he arrived here everything kind of spiraled out of control, he released a breath, "That's good, I'm glad they're doing well."

"Me too."

– **XX –**

The next day, Harry and Laura took the elevator down to the sub levels of the school.

Harry leaned against the railing lining the center of the elevator, his dark T-shirt sticking inside a rough groove that ran up the walls, "So you would really rather go on a mission that could end in our deaths then stay at the school?"

Laura raised a hand watching the way her fingernails caught the light, "Like it or not, the facility taught me the basics of what I needed to know. I feel on edge here, just waiting for the other shoe to drop," she glanced at him blue eyes meeting blue, "I need to be out there doing something."

"I understand that, this place was never meant to be my forever home. I appreciate what your father and everyone here has taught me, but their philosophy doesn't sit well with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I understand wanting peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, but I believe it would be a better use of our time to create a place where mutants and those that sympathize with us could be safe and warn everyone else to stay away or else."

"Sounds like the Magneto way of thinking."

"Magneto attacks to prove his point. I would only attack if I was attacked. There have been times in the past magneto has followed that philosophy, but the man has too much rage to keep on the path forever."

A smile split Laura's face, "Sounds like fun, you need any help?"

Harry's lips curled, "I could use all the help I can get," he stretched one hand forward.

As the elevator slid to a stop, Laura stretched her hand forward, slipping her slender hand into his larger one. They shook once and then the elevator doors slid open.

Laura stepped out of the elevator and together they walked down the sleek metal hallway filled with doors set into arched recesses. "You know," Laura started, their footsteps echoing around them, "the X-Men aren't going to take kindly to your way of thinking. They go after anyone who causes violence to normal humans."

Turning a corner they stopped at a circular door.

Harry stretched his hand forward letting his mind meld with the doors electronics. After a moment it hissed open revealing a large circular room made of ebony square panels.

A walkway led to the center of the room, wear a helmet set on a curved blocky device.

Harry took the lead, "The difference is I'm not going to leave my base of operations to retaliate. I will stay exactly where I'm needed, with the people who choose to live under my protection."

Sitting down in a chair that shifted to the curves of his body, Harry reached for a silver helm sitting atop of what he now recognized as a control unit. Cables trailed off the helm like octopus tentacles.

The moment the device touched his head, his mind expanded outwards. Almost instantly he lost himself in a sea of voices. He gritted his teeth focusing on one thing, the psychic impressions his father picked up from Mount joy during the battle, the psychic impressions he had inherited from his father's memories.

The noise quieted, for a heartbeat he floated there in a sea of blackness. Then, the world around him zoomed forward in a blur of motion. His mind stopped in a vast mountain range in the Canadian wilderness.

From high above, he watched the Carmel haired murderer walk towards the mountain, looking almost board. His crimson eyes flared with power and hidden doors buried deep within the mountain exploded outwards, sending rocks across the picturesque landscape.

Harry hovered there, unsure of what to do, this machine boosted his power to incredible levels, but he didn't know what other powers Mount joy had acquired over the years since his father's death. If he attacked and failed to kill him, he may lose him forever, ending his chance for revenge and finding out more about Doctor Strange Fate.

In the end, he took a risk just barely touching his mind long enough to get his current location.

Ripping off the helmet, he turned to Laura, "Looks like were heading to Saint Elias." He rose to his feet.

"What's in Saint Elias?"

"AIM has a base there."

"Didn't orange Hulk still some plans from Shield that belonged to AIM?"

Harry thrust his hand forward, "Yeah, I guess were about to find out why."

A circular portal opened in the air behind Cerebro.

"I put the portal about a mile away from Mount Joy."

"Good, it gives us a chance to come up with a plan."

Wrapping an arm around Laura's waist, Harry lifted into the air shooting through the portal.


	18. Chapter 18

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 18**

Harry and Laura touchdown in the middle of the forest, leaves crunching underneath their feet. Laura sniffed, her gaze sweeping over American Plum trees, Balsam Firs with red squirrels scuttling up the trunks. The creature's dark eyes locked on Laura, instantly recognizing her as the newest predator in the forest.

Harry moved forward, the crisp Canadian air burning in his chest, "I have to say," he took in the trees around them. They stretched high into the air, blocking out the clear blue sky, "it is beautiful here."

Laura moved on the balls of her feet with a predator's grace. "I don't know for sure if it was caused by Mount Joy, but there's a stench of blood wafting in the air from this direction," she pointed straight ahead.

Harry inclined his head, "Good, that means it worked. I tried to position the portal so all we had to do was walk in a straight line."

They began moving forward, Harry manipulating the air to cover their scents and muffle their approach, "So," Laura began after a few minutes, "tell me more about this new nation you're thinking of creating."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, his eyes lingering on a dark furred Martin slinking through the underbrush, "The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to need the help of Magneto."

"Why?"

"I'm virtually unknown. The mutant community will not trust me. However, they do know despite all his faults, Magneto will try to do what is best for mutant kind."

His hand curled into a fist anger creeping into his voice, "if that's not enough, the other nations of the world will try to kill me the moment I begin bringing mutants together," he glanced at Laura, "the world may hate us, but mutants are nation's newest weapons."

The duo paused as a rabbit exploded from the underbrush, a Martin hot on its heels. The two watch the rabbit disappear into the underbrush, the Martin moments behind it, "So what is your solution?"

"Magic."

Laura raised an eyebrow.

"In my mother's universe, there was an island of warrior Amazons hidden by the power of the Greek gods," he stared into the distance, "I am no god, but I should have enough juice to hide an island if I make the right preparations."

"So your suggestion is we hide?"

"Only until our nation is strong enough to defend itself, I think it would be best if the inhabitants of the island were self-reliant."

"A lot of people aren't gonna like hiding."

"It's either hide or get destroyed before this safe haven gets off the ground."

The trees began to thin. Within a few more minutes they found themselves standing before the base of the mountain, and arched tunnel carved into it, pale grey smoke in the stench of blood wafting out of the hole.

Metal doors rested on either side of the arch, their forms mangled as if an inward force pulled them from their homes.

Laura's claws emerged from her hands with the sound of metal scraping on bone, "Well, I think we found the AIM base."

Harry glanced at Laura, taking in her leather pants and tank top style leather vest. Luminescent blue energy filled his eyes, "You ready to do this?"

At Laura stiff nod, they moved forward.

– **XX –**

The two moved down the smooth tunnel. Lights mounted on the wall near the top of the arch flickered, each burst of light highlighting the blood splattered on the gray stone. Abruptly, the tunnel ended, dumping them out into a large cavern.

Bodies dressed in yellow hazmat suits with cylindrical helmets lay strewn on the floor. Some had blood caking massive holes in their chest, while wisps of pale smoke rose from inside the helmets of others, stopped by the glass faceplate.

Laura looked around, her gaze sweeping over desks sitting in neat rows. Papers lay strewn around them, bathed in the pale light of the monitors. "It doesn't look like Mount joy is taking any prisoners, but it doesn't look like he's looking for anything either, so what is he doing here?"

Harry stretched out his senses, finding nothing but the lingering echoes of these poor people's last moments, "He must be looking for whatever orange Hulk stole from Shield. The question is how did he get the information, as far as I know orange Hulk was captured again shortly after his escape. If you can call it an escape since he surrendered to shield in the first place."

They entered another chamber. Tables lined the massive chamber in neat rows each one equally spaced so workers had enough space to work. Technology lay partially disassembled on each table. Piles of ash littered the floor, and scorch marks decorated the wall near the entrance.

Laura knelt next to a pile of ash while Harry wandered over to a table, picking up a green and yellow chest plate with a lantern symbol in its front.

Laura allowed the ash to fall through her fingers; she looked up at Harry as he rotated the chest plate in his hand, "This is human."

"I figured."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"Since there's not a lot of damage to the technology, besides the scorch mark where each pile of ash is. I would say Mount Joy either transmuted them, or ate them."

Laura rose to her feet slapping her hands together. "Neither one sounds pleasant, but why would he eat these people, I doubt all of them had mutant abilities."

"More than likely he was collecting their life energy, or he could have been after the knowledge in their minds."

Turning back to the chest plate, Harry mentally reached out to the technology within. The blue glow in his eyes intensified as new knowledge flowed into his mind.

The chest plate Belong to Harold Stark also known as the iron lantern. Harold stark was a millionaire and founder of stark aircraft. One day while working on a flight simulator, the craft took off with him inside. While in transit he discovered the flight simulator was being drawn to an alien spacecraft. The simulator crashed yards away, injuring Harold. Curious to the end, he entered the spacecraft finding a dying alien.

Before Stark could do anything, the alien died with a serene smile on its face that it didn't have to die alone. Realizing he was dying as well, Harold cannibalized the ships advanced technology to create a suit.

While working, he discovered information about the emotional spectrum which could empower its users with unique abilities depending on the emotion which empowers them. The alien spacecraft was piloted by a disciple of will. This resonated with Starks own determination.

Combining the power of will with the suit, Stark took on the name of iron lantern, set about doing good in the world with his second chance at life.

At the end of the information, a memory recorded by the suit flashed at the forefront of Harry's mind. A dark haired man with a pencil mustache screamed as he was vaporized inside his suit, only the power of will allowing this chest plate to survive the white wave of destruction that wiped him out of existence.

Absently Harry sent the chest plate to the house of secrets with a thought.

"Have anything?"

"I think," he began slowly, "that chest plate came from a universe with characteristics of this one and the one my mother came from. The chest plate with the design of Tony Stark's, but it had abilities similar to people from my mother's universe."

Harry reached out with his mind, grabbing other pieces that resonated with the same frequency as the armor. Copper, iron, steel, silver, and gold android pieces floated through the air each one giving him snippets of information before vanishing.

"What have you found?"

"I don't know, but some kind of catastrophe happened in this amalgam world. Almost all of the inhabitants were wiped out by a wave of light emanating from space itself."

Laura wrapped her arm around his, pulling him forward, "Come on we need to keep moving, we don't know if this place is safe enough for you to space out."

"Right," Harry said absently as Laura pulled him towards another tunnel.

They entered another cavern. Two large scaffolds took up the walls on either side of the cavern. Glowing spheres were connected to the scaffolding each sphere released a beam of energy that seem to either open or hold open a tear in space.

Laura released Harry, staring wide-eyed at the jagged white hole in the world.

Harry straightened letting his senses scanned the room, "I guess we know where they've been getting the amalgam technology from." A presence brushed against Harry's mind, sending him forward without conscious thought.

He stopped before a table, cobbled together technology sat beneath the table, wires spilling out to brush the stone floor. Keyboard sat before monitors with a multitude of constantly moving ones and zeros scrolling across the screens.

On a small circular pedestal before the tables sat a copper rectangle with silver circuitry running through it. The bottom of the rectangle had been removed to show the crystal insides. A glowing gold diamond lay partially exposed.

Wires ran from the open section to the cobbled together technology sitting beneath the tables.

"What is it?" Laura asked stopping beside him.

Harry opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a feminine voice echoing from the rectangle, "I can answer that."

Both looked down surprise coloring their faces.

"Um," Harry started, "who or what are you?"

"I am a mother box of New Asgard from the Amalgam universe."

"New Asgard," Harry asked just as Laura said, "Amalgam universe."

A light chuckle echoed up from the copper device, "The amalgam universe was created when two universal deities who had forgotten about each other remembered that the other existed. They then pitted the universes they had created against the other. In an effort to bring peace, a being known as access joined the universes together, giving rise to the amalgam universe."

"Everything was well until the multi-verse was destroyed, the wave that wiped out the multi-verse, destroyed most of the inhabitants of the amalgam universe, except for its most powerful protector Doctor Strange Fate."

The jewel in the center of the copper rectangle dimmed, "Wait!" Harry exclaimed, "What can you tell us about Doctor Strange Fate?"

"I can tell you much, but I am running out of time. The scientists of this place have damaged me in an effort to keep this tear open so they could pilfer the technology of my world."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Harry asked desperate not to lose an insight into their enemy.

"There is one thing you can do, but," whatever was living inside the device seem to hesitate, "I doubt you would be willing."

Harry and Laura shared a look; finally Harry cleared his throat, "What do you need us to do?"

A blue light scanned them both, before the box seemed to focus its attention on Harry, "Your DNA is similar to that of those of the amalgam universe. If you merge with me, you will gain the information I have on Doctor strange fate as well as other things about the amalgam universe, I will become a part of you. Though my consciousness will be lost in the complexity of the human mind a small piece of new Asgard will live."

Harry turned towards Laura, "What do you think?"

Laura looked at him in surprise, "You're asking me?"

"You are my partner on this quest, aren't you?"

Laura's lips twisted into a smile, "Yes."

"So?"

"I don't really like the idea of some unknown computer merging with you."

"That part does make me nervous, but the information on strange fate is almost too good to pass up. That's not counting the information on technology I could get which could help me with my plans to create a mutant country."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind."

"We need information on Strange Fate, even if it's old information."

Laura nodded, and Harry stretched forth his hand, laying it across the box. Bright light filled the room and Harry felt the box disappear beneath his palm at the same time as needles stabbed into it. For a moment he shuddered, feeling something crawl through his body. When it reached his mind, he froze, his eyes glowing with a gold light.

– **XX –**

Harry materialized above a familiar mountain landscape. Snow blanketed the Tibetan landscape. Wind crawled through the rocky expanse, creating a fog of swirling snowflakes.

A man phased into view beside Harry, white robes were draped across his stocky frame. A pale staff was clutched in his right hand. Long white hair touched his shoulders and covered a blocky chin. A wrapping of bandages shielded his right eye from view.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Mother Box you are in the process of merging with. I have taken the form of the New Asgardian king High Father Odin, the previous owner of this unit."

Harry turned back to the snow-covered landscape, "Why are we here?"

"We are here," the Mother Box began.

It kind of creeped Harry out that the mother box had a feminine voice when they first met. However, it now had a male voice that resonated power and authority.

"So that I may complete my part of the bargain and tell you about Doctor Strange Fate," the otherworldly computer continued unaware of Harry's thoughts.

It turned towards the mountain.

Following its gaze, Harry watched a bald man in a thick green jacket stumble through the snow. He fell to his knees, his thick pants soaking up water as he sunk into the sea of white. His body finally gave out, curling in on itself to stay warm, even though it was an image, Harry felt the power of a telepathic call reverberate out of his mind in a last-ditch effort to survive.

"This man is Charles Xavier, a Meta Mutant, who will eventually rise to become Doctor Strange Fate."

An arched portal appeared a few feet away from Charles, an aged man in white robes with gold trim emerged from the portal, leisurely walking across the snow untouched by the bitter cold.

With a gesture of his wrinkled tan hand, Xavier's body lifted into the air surrounded by a golden light. He turned back to the portal, his long white beard and pencil thin grey mustache never touched by the winds howling around him.

"That is Nabu the ancient one, Lord of order, the man who will train Charles to become the powerhouse he is today."

Time passed and Harry watched Nabu train Charles. Over time, the bald telepath combined his Psionic abilities in a familiar way. As the images slowed down, he watched Charles don a skintight blue suit.

Over time more equipment was added, a red cape held shut by a gold circular medallion, and finally a familiar golden helm. Time sped forward again, and Harry watched the mutants of this world face the same persecution as the mutants of his world.

Doctor strange fate protected the world from extra dimensional demons, dark new Asgardians in their attempts at invasion, but he was unprepared when on a bright peaceful day, a white wave of destruction shook his universe.

Jagged tears appeared in the sky releasing energy that vaporized citizens. Heroes try to fight only to fade into nothing when they drew close to the tear. Buildings crumbled and before long, only Strange Fate was left standing in the ashes of his world.

With a scream of pain and anger that parted the lingering dust of his world and shook the few remaining buildings left standing, Doctor strange fate began pulling energy into his body.

The scene paused, and High Father Odin began speaking again, "After the death of his world, Doctor strange fate boosted his own power by absorbing every drop of magic left in his universe."

The world beneath Doctor strange fate crumbled to ash, leaving him floating in a void of darkness. "After that was done incensed by his failure to protect his world, he began traveling trying to discover what happened to destroy his universe."

The Mother Box turned its single blue eye on Harry, "Here I don't know what happens, I just know that portals began to open in reality and I was pulled along with other technology from my universe into this one. At a point in time after its destruction but before Doctor strange fate absorbed the magic."

"You're a living computer, can you hazard a guess? I mean you have more information on Doctor Strange Fate than anyone else."

"Doctor strange fate never had kids, avoided romantic entanglement with his apprentice the white which, all to better guard my universe. With his failure, I would suspect he is going to try to re-create it."

"Can he do that?"

"Quite easily if he has a base material to work with, and the multi-verse is full of that."

"So what is he waiting on?"

"I don't know, but I would suspect he has something bigger planned."

The world around Harry began to flicker.

The Mother Box's gaze flicked around, "It appears that my mind is almost fully merged with yours. When that happens you will have all my knowledge, or at least what is left of it"

"Wait you mentioned merging with my body. What kind of effect is that going to have on me?"

High Father Odin smiled, "Live well Hadrian Grey, you now carry the legacy of the new Asgardians within you." High father Odin faded away, and the world turned black.

– **XX –**

Harry opened his eyes, blinking at the information that was now swimming around his brain.

Laura stepped back, her body tense, "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry shook his head, noticing that without the mother box to power it the tear in space and time that led to the amalgam universe had disappeared, "I think so"

"What happened to you?" Laura asked her body still tense.

"The Mother Box, which used to belong to the new Asgardian king high father Odin, showed me the history of Strange Fate. He was also able to give me some insights into the mind and a possible motive of what Strange Fate is after."

"New Asgardians?"

"A combination of gods from another universe, and our current universe, or at least a previous incarnation," Harry answered without conscious thought. He blinked, surprised at how easy the information came to him. He looked down at himself, finding his veins now had a glow to them.

What had that mother box done to him?

Laura relaxed slightly, "So what happens now?"

"Now we do what we came for," Harry turned towards the only door left in the room, a square of thick metal with iron rods crossing in front of it, "take down Mount Joy, and strip him of what he knows of Strange Fate."

Together, they moved forward. Harry raised his hand, the rods in front of the door slid into recesses on either side of it. Compressed air washed out of the seams as seals were released and the door slowly slid upwards.

Harry stopped at the mouth of the tunnel, one hand outstretched. "There must be something different about the room beyond this tunnel, there are more safety measures in this one, some of them still active," he cocked his head to the side, "which makes me wonder how Mount Joy got through here unmolested."

Laura sniffed the air, "Can you turn them off?"

"Yes, it's just peculiar."

They entered the tunnel. Glass strips lining the tunnel at head height released red beams that scan their bodies.

Laura tensed her instincts instantly preparing her for a fight.

"It's fine, I have added us to the approved list of people allowed in this section."

"What would happen if we weren't on the approved list?"

Harry pointed upward.

Following his finger, Laura saw holes covered by shower head plates mounted into the ceiling.

"The tunnel would seal itself from both ends, and release acid upon anyone inside it."

Laura winced. She would heal from something like that, but it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

Exiting the tunnel, they found that they were in another large chamber.

A pit set in the center of the floor filled with thick white energy. A cylinder hung above the pit, the grooves cut into its surface filled with the same thick energy as the pit. A computer terminal set against the far wall, cables climbed up the wall slithering across the ceiling to the cylinder.

"What is going on here?"

"According to the systems I've been able to tap into. While dissecting technology from the amalgam universe, they discovered how to liquefy energy from a universe called the beyond."

Harry glanced at the angular silver circuits carved into the floor of the room around the pool in a ring. The circuit ring started small very close to the pit then spread outwards like an opening flower until it reached the edges of the room.

"Why would they want to liquefy energy from the beyond universe?"

"They theorized that if someone was to bathe in the energy it would cause a mutation that would give the bather incredible power. They also thought in its liquid state it may be easier to mold into weapons, armor, or even technology."

"Unfortunately," Harry's gaze locked on the man kneeling over the pool, his red eyes locked on the energy, his caramel colored hair hanging down as he leaned to stare into it, "Mount joy arrived here before they could put any of their theories to the test."

Harry twisted his right hand palm out.

Lightning shot out from his palm dancing through the air towards Mount Joy.

Mount Joy looked up a familiar sphere of translucent green energy closing around him.

The lightning slammed into the sphere, pushing Mount Joy away from the pool.

Ignoring the people in front of him, Mount joy turned to the shadows, "Get the boss his prize!"

A familiar woman in leather emerged from the shadows, her dark hair running down her back, a face mask covering the lower half of her face, her blue eyes locked on Laura. After a moment, she pulled out a golden tear on a chain. The tear flared with yellow power wrapping around her and whisking her away within a moment.

Mount Joy stood within his sphere, he cocked his head to the side, "You're too late to stop what happened here, but," he stared intently at Harry, "I think you are here for another reason."

Harry turned to Laura, "You mind if I take care of this?"

Laura shrugged, stepping back, "If you start losing, I get to put a claw," she raised her hand, her metal claws exposed, "through his skull. I didn't come here just to watch on the sidelines."

"Agreed."

Harry turned back to Mount Joy, "My name is Hadrian Grey, and you killed my father." He sprinted forward, mystical Psionic power flooding his body, turning him into nothing more than a blur.

Mount joy raised a hand from within his barrier. Orbs of fire coalesced in the air like suns orbiting the planet. With a gesture, they shot forward.

Harry weaved around the attack, reaching out with his mind to push a few away. Closing the distance between him and his target he raised his right arm. The appendage shifted, becoming made of translucent blue magical Psionic energy.

He twisted his body as he drew within arm's length of the orb, dodging spikes Mount Joy willed to grow out of it. Grabbing one of the spikes for balance, Harry drove his right arm forward. It sank through the sphere causing it to explode as the energy was pulled into his arm.

Mount joy landed a few feet away with a grunt, sliding across the circuits etched into the floor. He pushed himself to his feet smoothing down the wrinkles in his torn blazer jacket.

Mount Joy thrust his left hand forward, Earth buckled upwards in a wave, breaking the circuits on the floor and causing the energy in the pit to quiver.

Putting his fingers together, Harry thrust his arm out like a spear, splitting the wave in half.

Mount Joy stared at him, a hint of fear in his eyes. The red eyed murderer blurred forward at inhuman speed claws emerging from his hands.

Harry jumped back from a swipe, wincing as a dark nail managed to slice a shallow cut on his wrist. The cut burned, almost instantly becoming inflamed.

Harry lashed out a translucent great sword appearing in his left hand. The blade cleaved through Mount joy is left wrist, sending his hand arcing through the air in a spray of blood.

Mount joy screamed clutching his wrist, even as bloody fingers began to emerge from the stump, but it was what Harry heard from Mount Joy's mind that really caught his interest.

Echoes of everyone Mount joy had absorbed screamed within his mind locked behind the man's own impenetrable will.

A wind tugged at his back. He turned to find the energy from the pit had transformed into a whirlpool, the remaining circuits still trying to exert their will, only to twist the energy in one direction. Despite the circuits the whirlpool was growing larger pulling everything nearby into it.

Items that went inside broke into colorful particles before swirling deeper into the energy like water down a drain.

Knowing he didn't have much time, Harry reached out with his mind. It was almost too easy to release the echoes within and give them just a bit of his power to rejoin the material world one last time.

Hundreds of translucent people appeared in the room, all of them crowding around Mount Joy.

Harry could make out his father standing in the front row of people. He stared down at Mount Joy, anger at the life lost burning in his spectral eyes, "Let's see how you like being the victim."

While the spirits got their vengeance, Harry dived into Mount Joy's mind, digging for any information he could find on Doctor Strange Fate.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Mount Joy never met with strange fate, only a middleman.

Images of Mount joy standing outside a café filled his mind, a man in a dark green raincoat approached, giving Mount joy orders to collect the plans from Orange Hulk.

The scene changed to show Mount Joy hovering in the air beside a falling orange Hulk as he emerged from the shield headquarters.

From within a sphere of air conjured by Mount joy, Orange Hulk handed over the files and schematics shield had on the cosmic cube and the location of a secret base of AIM.

His memories swam again, he stood on a rain slick street; The man in the green raincoat telling him to retrieve the rest of the plans for the cosmic cube from the AIM base, a bolt of lightning flashed overhead, and Harry saw the familiar features of Reed Richards.

He had never met the man personally, but he'd seen the man on the TV a few times while at the Xavier Institute.

Harry withdrew from Mount Joy's mind as the echoes finished up with Mount Joy.

The echoes disappeared one by one, until only John Grey remained.

John Grey approached his son, his hands buried in the pockets of his spectral trench-coat.

"Thank you for giving me in the others a chance at closure."

"If anyone deserved to take down Mount Joy it was his victims."

They stood there in silence for a moment until Harry met his father's gaze, unshed tears glistening in his eyes, "I wish you could stay."

A gentle smile filled with love spread across John's face, "So do I, but my time on this earth is done," he began to fade away, "continue to make me proud, son."

Wiping his eyes, Harry approached Mount Joy, there were no physical wounds on his body besides what he had gotten in their fight, but his red eyes were dim. His mouth hung open limply, a bit of drool running down his chin.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you have a good time in hell." With a twist of his wrist, Joy's body burst into flames.

Turning away, Harry met Laura as she crossed the room.

"We need to go," Laura said, "that vortex is eating the base."

Harry cocked his head to the side. Explosions began to shake the base back the way they came, causing dust to rain down from the ceiling.

"What did you do?"

"Activated the safety measures designed to bury anything in here in case the experiments got out of hand." With a gesture a portal opened before them, its edge is burning with blue energy.

Laura looked at him, "So where are we heading next?"

"We need to speak with Reed Richards."


	19. Chapter 19

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 19**

Harry and Laura appeared over New York City floating in a translucent sphere of blue energy.

Harry stared down at the city, most buildings had the same rectangular utilitarian design, but there were a few gems in the mix. Aged brownstones or elegantly designed houses sat together in city blocks, like they were gathering together in order to protect themselves from the bland buildings around them.

Pale smoke rose into the air from passing cars, restaurants, or the few industrial factories in this part of the city, completing the light pollutions job of blotting out the stars.

As they hovered there, sounds filtered up to them, people yelling at their neighbors, car horns honking, police sirens heading to an emergency, or screams for help.

Laura winced, "It's so loud here."

"Try being a telepath."

They drifted forward, the sphere slowly shimmering around them until it became invisible.

Laura shook her head, "You make all of this looks so easy," she glanced at him, a strip of hair falling over the left side of her face, "It makes me wonder why we didn't teleport into the Baxter building," her gaze flicked over to a moderately tall building. Gold letters mounted to the top of it spelled out Baxter.

"The merger with the mother box has changed me, allowing me to use my powers easier than before. This also allows me to access Reed Richards systems with my mind and see if he is hiding anything that way we know the questions to ask."

Laura's eyebrows drew together, her lips forming a thin line, "Changed you how, is it something we need to be concerned with?"

Harry slowly shook his head, "I don't think so. I actually feel better than I have in a while. Ever since discovering that I was originally born an energy being, it's like a portion of my mind has been trying to slip away back to the freedom I must've felt when I was born, but sense merging with the mother box, I felt stronger. My mind no longer wanders."

"It's funny. I never noticed my mind wandering, until it didn't anymore."

Laura inclined her head, "That's good, but when this is all over I think we need to have either mom or Mr. McCoy look you over."

Harry glanced at her, one corner of his mouth curving upwards, "Mom?"

Laura looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks, "Sarah did raise me as much as anyone in the facility did, and Hank McCoy did a DNA test, I have just as much of her DNA as I do Logan's."

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm glad you're starting to find happiness in your life after what you have endured."

Laura shook her head, sending her dark hair swaying, her eyes locked onto the Baxter building, "Enough of this mushy stuff, we have a job to do."

Nodding, Harry directed the sphere towards the Baxter building with a force of will. Once they were floating above it, he reached out with his mind, searching for Reed Richards and checking just how many people were in the building.

He found Reed Richards at the very top of the building, his form hunched over a table as he worked on some new project. The rest of the building's occupants were asleep, and it was the easiest thing in the world to use a bit of power to make sure they stayed that way until morning.

"Alright, were all set. No one in the building is going to interrupt us until morning, by then we should be long gone."

Laura stared at the roof of the building as they drifted downwards, her eyes hard, "So how do you want to play this?"

"I can't find anything in his mind that has him working with strange fate. Granted there are certain devices in that room that are dampening my probe."

"So what do you want to do just ask him?"

"Reed Richards is the type of man to keep secrets, but once confronted with information, he can't help but tell the truth."

Air brushed past Laura's lips as they sunk through the portal on the roof of the building, "So we're just going to ask him."

– **XX –**

Reed Richards slowly turned around, the light from a nearby lamp highlighting the grey around his temples. His Brown eyes scanned the room, a hand rising to brush the small beard covering his chin in thought.

The same technology as always set around the room shadows stretching between them in the night, but years of being a hero had heightened his senses. His arm elongated snatching a thin metal glove that's hem was raised from a shelf at the far end of the room. His arm retracted, bringing the glove back to him.

Slipping it on, he kept his eyes searching the room. The raised section of the glove retracted, squeezing tightly around his arm as the thinner part of the glove became like a second skin. He waved a hand. The glove released a wave of clear energy that washed through the room.

About a foot in front of him, the waves slammed into a sphere, showing him its shape, but not the occupants within. He rose to his feet, his white lab coat falling around his tall frame, "Who's there?"

The air shimmered and a tall redheaded teen appeared with a teenage girl. Both wore black, but the girl seemed to prefer leather. "Reed Richards," the redhead said, "My name is Hadrian Grey, and we need to talk."

Reed relaxed slightly, lowering his silver glove, "How can I help you?"

The dark-haired woman turned, her light blue eyes locking on the redhead, "I think you're right, I don't think he's involved. His heart rate hasn't picked up. There is no smell of fear from him."

"Involved in what? Smell of fear, what is going on?"

Harry stepped forward, "It's easier if I show you." Reaching out with his power, Harry downloaded a copy of the tail end of Mount joy's memories into Reed's mind.

Reed staggered backwards, his waist slamming into the table he had previously been working on. He raised his head, his eyes locking on the two. His analytical mind had already picked up why they were here even if he was still sorting through the information.

"I'm not involved with this Strange Fate, he straightened, but I have met other dimensional versions of myself before."

"Do you know which one we could be dealing with?"

Reed shook his head, "Not with so little information to go on."

Laura and Harry shared a look, "it's disappointing you can't be more help Mr. Richards, but at least we know you're not involved." Blue energy began swirling around them.

"Wait!"

The blue energy faded.

"I can't tell you which alternate dimensional version of myself you are looking for, but I can tell you where to find them."

"How?"

A holographic screen appeared in front of Richards, "After the multi-verse event, I realize that it would be beneficial to track other dimensional entities just in case they began causing trouble. That's what I was working on here, unfortunately that is still not ready, but all of my counterparts use technology that gave off the same signal. Even if they tried to change the signal, it will still give off a unique fingerprint that any one of us can track."

Reed pressed something on the holographic screen and then spun it to face the duo.

On the screen was a section of London that was very familiar to Harry, the redhead cocked his head to the side, "Interesting," He inclined his head, "thank you for your help Mr. Richards." In a swirl of blue energy they were gone.

– **XX –**

They appeared in the middle of the street.

Laura pulled away from him, "No portals anymore?"

"I told you the mother box changed me."

Laura looked around her. Before her was a long rectangular building that look like someone had torn a piece of the night sky out of the heavens and draped it across the structure. Stars twinkled in the curved dark edges of the building.

Four circular pillars were mounted at each corner of the building. Grooves cut into the pillars glowed with a pale light.

"What is this place?"

"This was where the ministry of magic was located, before part of the magical world moved to Otherworld to be safe from, mutants, aliens, and mundane politics."

Laura took in the rest of the street. Behind her, boarded up buildings with dirt and grime over the few remaining windows lined the street. A cracked streetlamp flickered in a futile battle against the darkness.

"The magical world used to be located here?"

"Would you look for magic in a place like this?"

"Fair point."

She turned back to the strange building covered in the night sky, "So what are we looking at?"

Harry shifted.

Wind blew the contents of a turned over trashcan into his path.

Ignoring the world around him, he reached out with his mind scanning the pillars and the substance that blanketed the building. "Someone has partially pulled this building out of our reality."

"And nobody noticed?"

"Doctor Strange Fate was smart. He chose a building that was imbued with years-worth of protective magic."

"If the building is surrounded by a protective magic, how can we see it."

"Two reasons, number one, Reed Richards device already showed us that the building is here, so the magic would have a hard time telling us it's not. Number two, you have a very strong will, and I am shielded by my abilities."

Beams shot out from the grooves of the pillars at the front corners of the building. They join together to create an oval-shaped opening in the air made of blinding white energy.

From out of the tear walked Orange Hulk and the woman in leather.

"Well, at least we know we've got the right place."

"You take the woman in leather. I've got the orange Hulk."

"Oh sure, you take the fun one."

Harry sprinted forward, his body becoming nothing more than a blur as it swelled with mystical Psionic power. He slammed into the orange Hulk wrapping his arms around the creature's body and carrying him over the building.

Orange Hulk roared, spittle flying past his blocky white teeth. Cupping his large manhole size hands together, he slammed his hands down on Harry's back, sending a shudder through the red haired mystical mutant's bones.

Harry coughed, a bit of bluish white blood splattering against the Hulk's chest. Despite the situation, Harry took a millisecond to stare at the blood. _'I'm going to have to look into that later.'_

Spinning his body, Harry released the Hulk, throwing him through the air. As the orange monstrosity cut through the air, a blue portal opened in his path.

Before he even realized what was happening, he was through it and it was hissing close behind him.

Harry took a moment to suck in a breath through his nose then glanced upward.

High above the earth, a portal opened just barely inside the earth's upper atmosphere.

The orange Hulk fell through, screaming as ice began to build over his large arms and body.

Harry shot upwards, an aura of translucent blue energy blossoming around his body.

– **XX –**

With a snarl, Laura rushed forward, her long black hair flowing behind her, her light blue eyes shining in the moonlight.

The woman in leather rushed to meet her, to very familiar claws emerging from her leather covered hands. The woman in leather swiped at her body.

Laura twisted out of the way, jabbing her claws at the woman's kidney.

The woman twisted at the last second, causing the claws to graze her upper ribs.

Laura's nostrils flared as the scent of the blood hit the air. There was something familiar about it.

The woman in leather spun on her left heel, bringing her right leg around in a roundhouse kick.

Laura ducked under the incoming blow, bringing her left leg around in a kick that slammed into the woman's unguarded knee. The woman's legs buckled.

As she fell to her knees, Laura drove her right fist forward her claws poised to stab into the woman's head.

A leather clad arm came up to knock her claws off course, while a palm strike to the chest sent her stumbling back.

– **XX –**

As Harry neared the orange Hulk, he reached out with his mind, trying to figure out what the creature's next move was, but all he got was a wave of rage. His eyes widened as the muscled beast brought his hands together in a massive clap, sending a shockwave of air towards Harry along with shards of ice that were once covering the creature's body.

Harry thrust out his hand, a see-through blue shield appeared in front of him. However, the force of the wind still pushed him back through the air.

As the wind died down, Harry looked up, to find the orange Hulk closing the distance between them fast, his arm cocked back for a punch.

Reaching out with his mind, Harry connected with the air around the Hulk, thankful he had entered a thicker part of the atmosphere. He pulled it together, causing it to thicken around the creature, slowing his dissent.

With a few seconds to breathe, Harry stared at the creature. How is he going to beat him? Should he drop him in the sun, he shook his head, no, he's a solar based Hulk that would be liable to charge him up and make him even more of a problem.

He glanced off into the distance, on the horizon the sky was just beginning to lighten. He needed to end this fast. Day was almost here for the UK.

Orange Hulk closed the distance between them, driving his fist forward.

Disappearing in a blue flash, Harry appeared above orange Hulk, an idea forming in his mind. It wasn't fair, but then again neither was a mutated psychic fighting the Hulk.

A runic circle appeared in the orange Hulk's path of dissent, the outer rings rectangular runes burning with blue power. Curved serpent like runes with different glowing dots in and around them formed, creating an inner ring.

When it was done, the two rings rotated, forming a particular pattern with rectangular runes lining up with certain curved runes. The whole circle flared. In the center ring opened a portal, the familiar octopus shaped mouth of Shuma-Gorath filled the whole.

The orange Hulk barely had time to scream before he fell into the dimensional god's gullet. The portal snapped closed as Shuma-Gorath shifted, giving a brief glimpse of a red sky filled with dark obsidian clouds.

Releasing a breath, Harry disappeared in a blue flash, making his way back to Laura.

– **XX –**

Appearing in the alleyway where he left Laura, he watched the two women circle each other. Blood oozed from the numerous cuts that littered their bodies, but as he watched their wounds healed, leaving behind perfect unblemished skin.

Seeing his chance to finally find out who was behind the mask, Harry reached out with his power. Just like before runes flared along the leather armor burning with gold light.

Harry's fingers danced through the air, blue energy trailing from the tips. His new mother box enhanced mind coming up with a counter.

Pushing a circle of glowing blue angled runes forward, they flew through the air just as the woman in leather began to turn.

The runes slammed into her chest, sending golden fragments flying through the air as they shattered the runes along her armor.

Again Harry's mind dived forward, finally learning the secrets of the woman that had begun his journey.

– **XX –**

He found he was standing in a destroyed wasteland. The earth was reddish-brown and dry. The sky a smog grey color with brown clouds hovering in it.

Harry took a step, images rushed by him as information filled his mind.

This woman was Gabby.

Buildings rose outside the blurred images, the windows broken. Pieces of thin plywood covered the front entrances.

Hulking green monstrosities stomped across the landscape, their dark cruel laughter echoing throughout the polluted sky. With a roar, one of them drew his fist back, slamming it into one of the newly formed buildings, causing it to crumble.

The ground shifted. Black brick walls rose up around him. The ground beneath his feet wiggled as a trench rose up from the earth, dirty green water filling it in a moment.

This was where she was born.

He moved forward, voices filtering up from somewhere ahead of him, "This isn't going to work," said a feminine voice.

"It has to," a male voice replied, "We need someone to protect us from the monsters out there."

"Why does it have to be her?"

"Don't get soft on me now Kinney. You knew what was going to happen to her when we acquired X twenty-three's DNA."

"Her name was Laura."

Harry rounded a corner, finding a small circular chamber. Water ran down the walls, staining a wooden table pressed up against the far end.

Wires ran from computer equipment piled on and around the table, to a square tank with rounded ends a few feet away.

In the tank was a younger Laura.

An aged Sarah Kinney placed a wrinkled hand on the tank. Her long black hair was now a silver color, pulled back in a severe bun. She stared at the child with faded green eyes, "I'm sorry Gabby, I did not want this for you, but I don't want to die either."

A lone tear trailed down Sarah's wrinkled liver spotted cheek.

Time froze, Doctor strange fate appeared in the room in a golden Ankh, his red Cape billowing around him. Stretching out his hands, the tank flew into its component parts, freezing in midair a short distance away.

Gabby floated towards him, her eyes slowly opening.

"I have need of you, child," Doctor strange fate began in his double layered voice, "unfortunately I don't have time to train you."

Yellow light flared in Gabby's eyes, her back arched, and the world around Harry trembled.

With his own Psionic abilities, Harry could feel the changes in Gabby's mind. Somehow, Doctor strange fate was downloading the combat experience of a man named Logan Wayne directly into Gabby's mind.

If that was all, Harry may have been willing to forgive him. After all, he did take her away from this apocalyptic world and give her the skills to survive, but no, his hand curled into a fist as he felt Psionic controls that would make her obey his every command unquestioningly sink into her mind.

He flared his power, tendrils of blue energy swirling out from his body to shatter the world around him.

– **XX –**

Harry blinked. He was back on the street. Laura and Gabby had continued to fight while he was in her mind. Gabby was now on her knees, Laura standing above her, her claws raised.

Harry thrust out a hand, a blue outline appearing around them both, "Stop!"

Laura turned to him, rage in her eyes, "Harry, what are you?"

Harry strode forward "Laura," he reached towards Gabby's mask, "this is," he pulled it off, revealing her face, "your sister and she needs your help." Laura's eyes widened as she saw Gabby's face.

She was younger then Laura thought. Two scars ran in straight lines down her forehead and over her eyes. Her face was more round. She looked up at Laura, her blue eyes shining, filled with wonder, fear, and maybe just a little hope.

"She was created by an alternate version of your mother from your DNA in order to help survive in an apocalyptic world. Before she was even born into the world, Doctor strange fate took her. Downloaded the combat information from someone from his world into her mind and put in mental blocks so he could control her."

"I've shattered those blocks, she is now her own person, and she's going to need her family."

Gabby looked around confusion and fear shining in her blue eyes, "Where," She stuttered, "am I, what's going on?"

Laura glanced at Harry, "What do we do with her?"

Harry flicked his hand, an oval-shaped portal appearing in the air, "Take her back to the Institute, have my Aunt Jean confirm my findings and see if your family can help her."

"What about you and the mission?"

Harry glanced back at the building, "I'll finish that myself. It's more important to find out the truth about Gabby. If she really is a victim like I suspect, she needs our help."

"And if not?"

"That is for her family to decide," Harry turned, striding towards the building, a blue flash at his back announcing Gabby and Laura's journey through the portal.

Reaching the edge of the building, he shifted into his energy form. Stepping forward, he entered the fabric of the universe, heading towards his final enemy.


	20. Chapter 20

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 20**

Harry looked around him; he was floating in a dark void. Tears leading to other realities decorated the void like stars. He floated to the closest one, finding that on this earth monkeys had evolved to replace humans. As he watched, a monkey version of his aunt turned to look at him, her eyes glowing pink.

Shaking his head, he floated backwards.

Off in the distance was a large swath of land. Glowing orbs surrounded it in an intricate design that Harry recognized as a spell circle. There were six orbs in total, above each orb floated a different jewel.

He instantly recognized the jewels from Reed Richards memories, "The infinity stones," he whispered, "but how, according to Richard's memories, the infinity stones don't work outside of their own universe."

Ignoring the way his voice echoed around him, he floated forward stretching his hand towards the closest orb. Images of a world filled with zombies flashed through his mind. He shuddered as he saw people falling upon one another like rabid dogs, eating the weakest of their undead brethren.

"So these orbs are hearts of universes throughout the multi-verse. As long as the infinity stone stays above the orb of the universe it originated from it will work." He murmured, recalling the information of the hearts the universes and Reed Richards theory about getting around the infinity stones weakness he also pulled from Richards mind.

He floated forward landing near the only inhabited spot on the massive chunk of rock. A pit set directly in front of him, bubbling with familiar liquid white energy. To the left of the pit set a pedestal, a circle of runes carved into the ground around it. More runes fanned out from the circle pointing to each of the orbs containing an infinity stone.

It was an impressive set up, but it was what floated on the pedestal that really drew Harry's attention, a cube burning with an inner blue white energy. He stepped forward, he had seen it on the blueprints orange Hulk had stolen, but seeing it in person was something totally different, it radiated power on an even greater scale than the hearts of the universe or the infinity stones, the cosmic cube.

What could Strange Fate be planning that he needed this much power? Shaking his head, he turned away focusing on the things on the opposite side of the pit. A horseshoe shaped ring of technology took up space on the other side of the pit.

Wires ran from the pit to familiar pillars of silver. Orbs sat atop each pillar, every couple of minutes, the orbs would fire a blast of energy, creating a new tear to another alternate reality.

Harry moved forward, his eyes locked on the figure in the green trench-coat working the technology.

"Mr. Richards?" He called.

The figure looked up, and Harry's eyes widened ever so slightly. Half of his face was the same as the Reed Richards he had met not that long ago, although younger without the beard and grey hair. The other half looked melted. One eye was a pale version of its former glory.

He smiled, only one half of his mouth completing the action, "Ah, Mr. Grey, I didn't expect you to be here so soon." He walked around the piled up equipment, one arm hanging limply out of his trench-coat.

Harry glanced around him, "What is this place?"

The younger Richards spread his good arm wide, "The rebirth of the multi-verse!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Richards grinned, "No, where actually just trying to replace a universe erased during the recreation of the multi-verse."

"From what I have heard about Strange Fate, he could do that without all this," Harry gestured around him at the spell circle and infinity stones.

Richards inclined his head, "See that's what I told him, but no he wants to replace every multi-verse with a slightly different version of his amalgam universe, that way it's impossible for his universe to be completely destroyed again."

"And how is he going to guard over an entire multi-verse?"

Richards pointed to the pit behind Harry, "By soaking in energies from the beyond."

"That's kind of dangerous and it may not work."

"I told him that too."

"So what do you get out of this?"

Richards raised his shoulders, "I just want to see what will happen. I exist in every multi-verse, so it's not like I can be killed anyway."

"You know I'm going to have to stop him right?"

"I know you'll try. It will be interesting to see what a natural born amalgamation can do against a cosmic created one." His gaze locked on something over Harry's shoulder.

Harry turned.

Xavier rose out of the pit, waves of white energy billowing out from him.

His skin was a moon white. His eyes were like staring into two endless voids of black. A Golden crown sat atop his head, burning with energy. A circular medallion was merged with his chest, the skin around it wrinkled.

Despite not wanting to look at another dudes junk, Harry knew at this moment if he turned away, he could die. Silk clothes appeared on Charles's body, the dark fabric standing out against the pale white skin. He smoothed down the dark purple shirt, pulling the cuffs of the dark blazer ever so slightly.

After a moment, he stepped forward, dark shoes clicking on the floor as they appeared on his feet.

Black eyes locked on Harry, sending a shudder down his spine, "So," Charles began, "you are here?"

Harry cocked his head to the side, "You know me?"

Charles inclined his head, "every time I try to go into the future to see if my plans exceeds, I find you or another version of you standing here," he shook his head, "It's like the universe wants us to fight," his eyes locked on Harry again, "but we don't have to."

"We don't?"

"No, you are a child born of two universes, just like myself. You can find a home in my universe," a smile stretched across his face, "maybe you can even become my successor."

Harry relaxed, dropping his arms to his side, "What do I have to do?"

"Just let me remake the amalgam universe and then multiply it replacing every world in the multi-verse, with a slightly different version of my amalgam world."

Harry nodded, "You know, I do owe you for bringing my parents together. It was your manipulation of the veil between universes that allowed my parents to meet. Some may even say you are my father."

Charles brows joined together, his lips puckering in thought, "I suppose," he began slowly, "that could be true."

"I just have a couple of questions."

"Ask away."

"First of all, how are you going to watch over an entire multi-verse," he shrugged, "I mean you had one universe before, and kind of lost it?"

Charles's face darkened, "That wasn't my fault," he snapped, "There were outside circumstances."

Harry's face dropped, becoming a mask of sympathy, "True enough, but my question is still valid. How are you going to stop history from repeating itself?"

"My power has expanded making it possible for me to monitor each world, making sure they do not come out with anything too dangerous."

Harry's face wrinkled as he hissed through his teeth, "Sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me," he waved his hand, "but onto the more important question."

"What happens to the people of the multi-verse? Every universe in the multi-verse is unique. There are some in certain universes that are born nowhere else in the multi-verse. What happens to those unique individuals?"

Charles looked down, "Unfortunately, some sacrifices need to be made."

Harry slowly shook his head, "See that right there is a deal breaker, my father was the only male version of Jean Grey and the entire multi-verse. How could I be a part of something that would wipe out other unique individuals?"

Harry raised his hands, only for Charles's fist to slam into his chest.

Harry coughed, bluish white blood spurting past his lips. He could feel the bones inside him shifting back into their proper places.

Charles's fists opened into a flat hand, "I truly am sorry it's come to this, you could've been a new age of creation." An Eldridge blast launched from his hand, sending Harry flying through the darkness.

Harry spun end over end, his mind whirled as he tried to think up what to do. He threw out his arms stopping his spin in midair. Something crackled in his chest as he breathed deep.

Charles floated before him, "Are some people you've never even met really worth your death?"

Harry's eyes hardened into chips of ice, "I forgot to mention that your manipulations, Your Soldier Mount Joy, killed my father."

Opening his hand, a great sword coalesced before him. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt, he shifted into his energy form, exhaling as the pain of his physical body left him.

With a thought, he blurred out of existence.

Appearing behind Strange Fate, he swung his sword around twisting his upper body, the blade aimed to slice Strange Fate in half.

Energy flared out from Strange Fate's body, creating a light outline around it.

The blade shattered on strange fate's clothes, spectral pieces of it flying into the darkness. On instinct, Harry grabbed his head screaming against the shooting pain that now split his brain in half.

Strange Fate slowly turned, one hand raised. With a snap of his fingers, Harry was solid once more.

He moaned as the pain in his chest returned.

Xavier drifted closer, "I told you before, I knew who I was going to be fighting. I know just how powerful you become, including your New Asgardian body. I have prepared for it all," he drew his arm back before shooting it forward, his pointer finger extended.

A shrill cry cut the void,

Strange Fate's head snapped around, his finger frozen an inch from Harry's chest.

A black Phoenix soared through one of the tears, red eyes burning in the Ebony flames that made up its body. Glaring at Strange Fate, the phoenix released a fireball from its beak.

The fireball slammed into Charles, knocking him away from Harry.

Within a blink, the Phoenix wrapped itself around Harry, its body transforming into an obsidian egg.

– **XX –**

Harry opened his eyes to find he was floating in a white void.

Before him was a woman made of ebony flames, every curve of her body the very definition of seductive, her red eyes burned like rubies. He swallowed, surprised to find no pain when he moved, "Who are you?"

The woman said nothing, just turned her head to stare at the empty space beside her, a tongue of flame curling like a hook at the back of her head.

Gaia appeared before him, her brown eyes warm. Her green dress hugged her voluptuous body. Her dark lips, the color of grapes curled as she tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, "I told you when the time came I would offer you help."

She gestured to the woman of fire, "This is Phoenix of earth seven thousand six hundred and forty-two. A universe where a new god called Darkseid pulled Phoenix into his universe to use her as a weapon, but not before having to resurrect her with his power."

"That resurrection changed Phoenix. She can no longer merge with those of any universe, because she like you contains the energy of two universes."

"And she has agreed to merge with me why? For that matter why are you helping me?"

Phoenix turned to him, "I need to merge with someone in order for my powers to have any effect on the world. Added to that, I need the emotions of a host to guide me. You are the only person in the multi-verse that I can now merge with because of Darkseid's resurrection."

"As for me," Gaia spoke up, "I'm tired of mutants being persecuted because their different. I know your plan to create a safe place for mutants, so I want to do what I can to help."

Harry turned his attention back to Phoenix, "What happens when we merge?"

"When you merged with the mother box, it started changes in your body that would transform you into a new Asgardians of the amalgam universe. Unfortunately, the box didn't contain enough energy to complete the transformation."

"By merging with me you will be transformed into Phoenix, the first new Asgardian of this universe."

Harry moved towards her, "What happens to you if we merge?"

Phoenix shook her head, her fiery hair pooling around her feet, "honestly I don't know, but I'm tired of drifting through my universe unable to affect the world around me," crimson orbs locked with Harry's blue, "I'm tired of being alone."

Harry turned to Gaia, "Thank you for your help."

"Just make sure mutants have a safe place and we will be even."

"It's nice, but a little unusual. Why are you so concerned with mutants?"

"I am the primordial goddess of earth, everything on earth came from me, so that makes all of you my children, and no mother likes to see her children abused." She gestured to Phoenix, "Now both of you finish this fight and help make a home for your people."

Harry turned back to Phoenix stretching out one hand, "You ready for this."

Phoenix wrapped her fingers around his, "Of course, it's time for Phoenix to be reborn." Phoenix's body burst into flames swirling in a tornado of black around Harry.

– **XX –**

Charles Xavier floated before the cosmic cube. In his time as Doctor strange fate, he had done many powerful spells, but nothing on the scale of rewriting the multi-verse. The cosmic cube could rewrite a universe on its own, but bolstered by the power of the infinity stones and the heart of multiple universes in a runic circle pattern. He would be able to create a multi-verse, where there was no fighting, no war, only order, and peace.

He stretched forth his hand, a small cylindrical hole opened in the top of the cosmic cube.

Power flowed from his outstretched hand into the hole, causing the cube to flare brighter, the hearts of the universes and the infinity stones of each universe flared in time with the cosmic cube. Slowly, the crown on his head morphed into the golden helm he had worn for so many years.

According to the notes of AIM, it would take millions of minds working together to dominate a cosmic cube's will and completely control its power, but with the magic he'd absorbed from his universe, and soaking in the energy of the beyond, his power was now amplified and on the same wavelength as the cosmic cube.

That should make it easy for him to dominate whatever personality was beginning to develop.

He closed his eyes, preparing to give his full attention to reshaping creation.

Something wrapped around his waist, yanking him away from the cube.

He spun to find that the obsidian egg had transformed into a humanoid form, black begun to flake off the form floating away in the void.

Before long Hadrian Grey floated before him, the tattered remains of his shirt flapping in the dark flames that wreathed his body. His red eyes burned into strange fate's glowing white, "Our fight is not over!"

Strange Fate's hands flashed through the air in a complicated pattern. Humanoids made of white energy appeared around him, their arms morphing into sharp blades. With a gesture, he sent them forward.

Harry slapped his hands together, slowly drawing them apart. A staff made a black fire hovered between his palms. Grabbing it in the middle, he twirled it around his body, his form blurring to meet his new foe.

He winced as a bladed arm nicked his shoulder, twirling the staff around his body. He smacked the offender in the midsection, causing them to shatter like glass. Twisting around another attack, he broke the staff into two shorter poles, slamming them down on the humanoid from behind.

Its head disappeared, its body slowly shimmering out of existence soon after.

Harry floated backwards, keeping the remaining three energy beings in his sight. He wasn't going to be able to take on strange fate in a straight up fight. He had the magic of a universe behind him, plus the bolstering of his artifacts, and whatever mutations the energy of the beyond had done to him.

He needed to find a weak spot, but for that he needed time.

The three remaining humanoids charged. Harry launched his fire sticks through the air, their form shimmering into arrows as they flew.

One of the arrows pierced a humanoid in the head causing him to pop out of existence, but the other arrow went wide.

Cursing, Harry floated forward, launching a punch at the one charging him.

In a flash the humanoids bladed arms came up in a scissor motion, ready to cleave Harry's hand off at the wrist.

At the last second, Harry opened his hand, releasing a blast of pure energy that vaporized the creatures head and a good portion of its shoulders. Just as it began to close its scissor like arms it faded from existence.

Harry turned ready to take on his last opponent only for a pale fist to slam into his jaw, sending his body lurching sideways.

Shaking his head, Harry righted himself, finding Charles Xavier a.k.a. Strange Fate floating before him.

Strange fate nodded to him, "You have some skill, it would be a disservice to you to continue to fight minions," his hands begin to weave another complicated pattern.

Sigils began to phase into existence in front of strange fate spinning in a slow circle about the size of a basketball.

Slowly, a pentagram began to form, its lines bouncing off certain Sigils.

Harry ignored the threat forming before him. This may be the only time strange fate held still. So strange fate's more complicated magic took hand gestures to perform. He could neutralize that at least temporarily.

He stared at strange fate's form, his eyes squinting. It was like staring into the sun. After a minute, his eyes began to hurt, but pathways showed themselves in strange fate's body converging on a circle in the center of his chest.

Harry thought back to when strange fate emerged from the pit of beyond energy. "The golden medallion in the center of his chest must be helping him regulate the power flowing through his body."

Two more spell circles appeared at either one of strange fate shoulders, forming a small triangle. When the pentagram appeared in all three they fired a massive blast of magical energy.

Harry disappeared in a blue flash, only for the blast to follow him. He was just about to do it again, when a psychic attack slammed into his mind, causing him to pause for just a second.

The blast slammed into his back, he cried out the smell of his own flesh burning filling his nose.

Harry hung in the void, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his vision blurring.

Strange Fate moved forward, a curved dagger appearing in his hands. "Goodbye," he thrust the dagger forward aiming to Pierce Harry's forehead.

At the last second, strange fate spun grabbing the sword of another Harry that phase into existence behind him. The blade sliced into his hand. Crimson droplets fell from pale flesh.

Strange fate raised his free hand, a mystic circle connecting his fingers, the runes rotating. Lines created a serpents head in its center. A spectral snake made of pale white energy lunch for Harry, the half heart-shaped flaps on either side of its body billowing out as it lunged.

Harry disappeared, appearing closer to strange fate, he launched a fist forward.

Strange fate's free hand shot up, catching his fist.

Bringing up her knee, Harry slammed into strange fate Scott extending his leg and launching himself away from the man. With a wide sweep of his hand, spectral arrows sped forward.

Strange fate's hand moved in a blurring motion, knocking the arrows in all directions.

The battle paused, Harry stared at strange fate searching for a weakness. his magically enhanced sight flared, showing him mystic lines running through Charles's body like veins. They seem to converge in the center of his chest. "The medallion," he murmured.

Strange Fate phased forward.

Harry's pupils dilated, his newly enhanced mind allowing him to see strange fate move. His hand lashed out, wrapping around Strange Fate's wrist. His other hand shot forward fingers poised to pry the amulet from his chest.

Xavier's hand came up wrapping around Harry's wrist.

Harry opened his mouth, releasing a wave of black fire.

Strange fate flinched back, releasing Harry's wrist.

He screamed the scent of charred flesh filling the space between them.

Despite himself, Harry's saliva thickened at the unpleasant smell bile rising in his throat. Swallowing it down, he focused on the task at hand.

Tightening his grip around strange fate's wrist, Harry focused his complete attention on the medallion keeping the fire pouring from his mouth even it is his body began to grow warm.

His hand shot forward, out white barrier flared around the amulet pushing back his attempts to get it.

Gritting his teeth, Harry pushed forward, burned patches growing on his hand as he pushed through the energy. His fingers scrabbled against the metal.

Xavier kicked him away, a sharp blow to the gut cutting off the flames.

Holding his stomach, Harry looked up, now realizing there was steam rising off his body.

Xavier hovered in the air, charred patches littering his upper body, his face mostly melted, the skin above his eyebrows having run over his eyes, a hole in his left cheek showing his teeth in the right side of his mouth sealed shut.

With his sight, Harry watched the medallion flayer, energy traveling from the embedded metal to strange fate's wounds, rapidly healing them. Within moments, he was as good as new, only his destroyed clothes showing signs of his previous injuries.

Strange fate dipped his head in respect, "You have power and skills. unfortunately for you, I have more."

Charles's eyes flared with violent power.

Harry staggered from the sheer pressure pressing down on his mind, a voice boomed in his head like thunder, "Kneel, submit to your fate!"

Translucent blue power mingled with black fire flared around Harry, forming into a Phoenix. The majestic bird opened it maw its shrill cry echoing through the void,

I don't believe in fate! With a flick of his hand, a spectral train flew from his palm, the peer omitted blade on the ends stabbing into the medallion in the center of his chest, but if I did this would be yours. With a yank the medallion flew from Xavier's chest, white lightning snaking over his body as the distance between himself and the medallion grew.

Grabbing the medallion, information flowed into Harry's mind. This thing was called The All Seeing Eye. He shook his head. Power flared around Harry, carving spiral and rectangular runes into the metal surface.

Strange fate lunged forward, the medallion flared.

Strange his body seized, white streamers of energy poured from his body, flowing into the amulet. As the energy left him, strange fate's body thinned. Starting at his toes, his body began to crumble into ash.

Staring at Harry resignation was now clear in his midnight dark eyes as they faded back to the natural blue.

A smile slowly stretched across Strange Fate's face. "Well played," he breathed. His eyes locked with Hadrian's, "Remember what happened to my people," he said quickly as the last of his body flaked away, "never let it happen again."

Turning Harry floated over the hearts of the universe is, the all Seeing Eye pulsing in his hand. His gaze swept the circle, lingering on the infinity stones hovering above each heart of the universe taken from multiple universes throughout the multi-verse. It still amazed him how Strange Fate got around the infinity stones not working outside their own universe.

Turning his attention back to the cosmic cube floating in the center of the spell diagram, he inserted the medallion, feeling a minor pull on his soul as he did so. Resting his hand atop the cube, power thrummed into his palm. With this he could have anything he desired, but right now there was only one thing he could think of. He closed his eyes.

"I want a place where mutants can be safe, somewhere I can create instead of destroy."

The entire spell circle flared with rainbow colored light that Harry could see even through his closed eyes. A stronger pull on his soul caused him to seize up in pain. Then he felt the familiar shift of teleportation.


	21. Chapter 21

**Of Mind and Magic**

 **Chapter 21**

Harry strode across the newly terraformed planet Mars, the sound of a burbling river off to his left singing in his ears.

He stared down at the cube in his hand.

Each side of the cube was now the color of an infinity stone, purple, blue, green, gold, yellow, and red. Energy filled the cube, swirling like a tornado and causing the cube to glow like a rainbow.

He eyed the mountains in the distance, tilting his head up as a breeze swirled around him, carrying the scent of wildflowers.

Eyes still closed, he pushed the cube forward. The square shone with multicolored energy.

Beams of light shot down all across the planet, dropping down Earth's most endangered animals in spots similar to the natural habitat. Focusing on these animals, Harry found blue whales, leopards, and cheetahs, just to name a few.

He focused on the cheetahs, changing their genetic defect.

With a step, Harry ran across the planet at inhuman speeds.

Stopping on a plot of land ringed by two snowcapped mountains, He closed his eyes, reaching within his soul, pulling on his connection to the house of secrets.

Harry stared at the Victorian home, its dark windows staring at him like the multiple eyes of some monster, the shadows in his doorway making the opening look like a mouth gaping in horror at what he was about to do.

Raising his hand, the books in his library floated out the doorway to stack neatly on either side of him. Tables full of equipment appeared behind the books as well as his clothes. Looking around at his things, he made another gesture, the miscellaneous things in the basement left behind by previous owners stacked up around him as well.

Once he was sure he had everything of value from the home, he raised his other hand. The house of secrets floated into the air.

He stared at it for a long moment. This was the last thing he had of his mother's, but he was going to create a haven for mutants, they needed homes and the magical wood that made up the house of secrets could regenerate smaller versions of itself if it was broken down.

He couldn't expect people to come here if they had nowhere to live.

Waving his free hand, the house of secrets broke apart, each individual piece of wood floating in the air. With a wave of his hand, he separated the bits of technology in the home, having them float in another pile. With a flick of his finger, metal armor and other bits from the miscellaneous things around him joined their floating counterparts.

With a flick of his eyes, some of the pieces of wood floated through the air stabbing into the ground in equal distance apart from each other. Once they were in the ground, Harry reached out with his power forcing it through the wood. The rest of the wood shot off into the distance.

The wood around him shuddered, and began to expand. Pieces expanding out of it at a rapid rate, before long, frames of homes were formed.

As the houses began to grow around him, Harry turned his attention to the floating components in the air. This place was going to need power, but he didn't want to use nuclear or coal power after what happened to the earth. He didn't know exactly how many people were coming, but there was a river nearby for hydropower.

Come to think of it, he reached deep beneath the earth, sighing in relief as he found an underground reservoir. He really should've checked on that before placing the houses here. He glanced around him at the small two-story wooden houses that set almost in a complete ring around him, the glass windows reflecting the light of the sun.

Focusing his attention back on the floating piece of metal he closed his eyes finally coming to a decision. Seeing the metal with his expanded senses, he forced some of it to join together. In moments, it glowed a whitish yellow.

Molding it into a hollow sphere, he began carving runes into it.

His merger with the mother box had given him some ideas for unlimited power, but he felt that using dark matter was too dangerous, so for now he would focus on fusion reaction. Once the runes covered the sphere, it looked sort of like the lines on a basketball.

Pulling the heat from the sphere, he stared at his creation.

The runes and the sphere would transmute air into helium and hydrogen while containing the heat as well as the light. It would also combined helium and hydrogen under pressure. Hopefully once it was complete he would be able to create a small sun that would power the homes here for many years.

Turning his attention back to the metal, he formed a square 6' x 6' around the sphere. More metal stretched, transforming into cables that plugged into premade holes in the sphere. Circuits wove together, runes spiraling the way along the outside of the wires that plugged into specific runes on the sphere.

Done with his project, Harry opened his eyes finding himself staring at an upright square with a glass porthole in its center. Stepping forward, he placed his hand on the glass of the porthole. Focusing his will, two circles of concentric runes appeared on either side of the square.

Stopping for a moment, he took a breath preparing himself for the hardest part. Once he was sure he was ready, he placed his hand on the glass again reaching his mind inside the sphere. The first thing was the easiest. With barely a thought, he converted the air in the sphere to hydrogen and helium.

He mixed the two chemicals slowly transmuting more from the air and adding it into the mixture while applying pressure.

Sweat ran down his face as he used his powers in a way he hadn't before. His free hand clenched his other one pressed against the magically enhanced glass. After what felt like hours, something shifted and a bright light flashed even through his closed eyes.

He stumbled backward in surprise, falling onto his butt, a smile spreading across his face as he saw the golden yellow light shining from the porthole. He had done it. He had created a miniature sun.

Raising a shaky hand, he swept it across his brow. He was glad his device worked, and that the runes were able to channel the energy. He would've survived it blowing up, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

With a gesture, the new fusion reactor sank beneath the earth settling into a premade chamber made of compressed and transmuted granite ten miles down.

Stretching out his will, he carved two small square channels into the cube that led up to the surface. This would allow air into the chamber so that the sphere could do the job of transmuting the air into the correct chemicals.

Keeping his attention on his device, Harry probed the runes on the side with his intent.

The runes flared, wires shooting out of the side to snake their way through the granite walls.

He watched the progress until they broke through the earth surface, plugging into the fuse box mounted on the outside of each house.

Lights flickered on in each home. The windows filled with a warm welcoming glow.

Harry looked up at the sky. Birds soared through the air, their colorful plumage accenting the pink background of the setting sun. He had tried not to use the cosmic cube too much after terraforming the planet to match earth's ecosystem and rotation around the sun.

He didn't want to become dependent on its power, plus he had bigger plans for it, but when he had copied the endangered species of earth, he also copied the other animals to provide a balance of nature.

Seeing the sight before him, he was glad he had.

Tearing his gaze away from the sky, he shoved his hands into his grey sweatpants. His bare feet glided across the grass as he made his way to one of the houses. A cool wind swirled around his bare upper body, drying the sweat there.

He wasn't physically tired, but the mental strain this had put on him gave him a desire for rest. Besides, he clenched the cube in his pocket. Tomorrow the real work began.

– **XX –**

The next day, Harry stood in a small clearing two miles away from another village dressed in a black blazer with black slacks.

A pale button-down shirt was half hidden by the folds of his jacket. His red hair was slicked back. The beginnings of a pencil mustache were highlighted in the morning light.

He had seen a picture of his grandfather, his grandfather had one, and he like the look. Interestingly, it was growing faster than it should, his will making it happen.

He glanced back at the village behind him; he could just make out the shingled roofs.

The house of secrets followed his intent. When he woke up this morning, more villages were grown, their location shining in his mind.

Luckily after doing it the first time, it was easier to make the fusion reactors to power each one, but now it was time for the final step. He took out the cosmic cube sitting it on the ground.

The cube sank beneath the earth.

For a moment nothing happened, then six crystal arches each the color of an infinity stone shot up from the ground surrounding Harry in a circle. Each arch extruded a pillar of crystal forming a ring above the arches once completed.

The ground beneath him became a smooth platform, expanding outwards to connect to the arches. Out of the platform rose a pillar with a slanted top. Etched into the top was a depiction of the infinity stones in a circle. The lines of a runic star connected the stones together.

Despite its new form, Harry could still feel the power of the infinity cube thrumming through his feet. He just hoped the power he sensed was enough. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, placing his hand on the runic star.

His mind expanded outwards, reaching into every multi-verse. He watched as the same multicolored crystal arches rose on any planet where mutants lived.

"My fellow mutants of the multi-verse," Harry began, "My name is Hadrian John Grey of universe six sixteen."

All across the multi-verse, mutant's heads turned skyward.

"In your minds you will find places that will teleport you to the world I have created for us. I have opened myself to you, so that you can feel the pureness of my intentions."

In the minds of the people of the multi-verse, the multicolored crystal structures shone like beacons. Some staggered, as the weight of emotion impacted their bodies.

They felt Hadrian's desire for a place where mutants can be safe. They saw the beauty of the world he had created. These images and emotions were backed up by his words a moment later.

"I want nothing from you; I just want a place where our people can be safe. A place where we can thrive and work together to create a better future," a light pressure settled on their bodies, "but I will warn you, if any mutant comes to this haven trying to destroy it. You will be met with deadly force."

Removing his hand from the slanted top of the pedestal, Harry opened his eyes and stepped back. He could feel his connection to the pedestal. He instinctively knew that he could travel between the worlds, using the crystal arches now spread throughout the multi-verse, but he hoped he wouldn't have to.

His gaze flicked to the arches around him, runes snaked over their surfaces. These should make it where only those with pure intentions could pass. Meaning a human with negative intent could not to hang onto a mutant and hitch a ride, because the gate would since the hostile intent and only pull the mutant. This should also cut down on the amount of mutants who meant his new home harm.

He was brought out of his thoughts as an arch flared, a younger version of Jean grey stepped through the portal followed by Scott summers.

He made his way over to them, a smile stretching across his face, "Welcome to," he paused, he couldn't really call the planet Mars anymore. "Elysium."

The younger Scott summers raised a brown eyebrow, sunlight reflecting off his Ruby visor, "Elysium, really?"

"I tell you what, when people finish arriving will let them decide the name," Harry didn't really want to be in charge of these people, but it looked like he was going to be for a while.

The younger Scott shook his head, one corner of his mouth curling upwards, "I didn't say it was a bad name."

More portals flared to life as more mutants came through.

Harry floated into the air, watching hundreds of people arrive each second. It looked like a new chapter in mutant history had begun.


End file.
